This piece was inspired by a scene from Paradise Love.

I couldn’t look away from the ocean. It felt so different, almost unreal, like a place untouched by time. That was what pulled me into this film. But beyond its beauty, the story became something else entirely.

Teresa is in her fifties. Her body is heavy, and so is her hunger. She eats, but it is never enough. Because what she craves is not food, but love. Attention. To be seen. To be wanted. As a woman. As a person. As if love were all that truly mattered.

Here, she can choose a lover as easily as choosing a service. Part-time, full-time, whatever she wants. All it takes is money.

But from the moment I watched her, I knew this was no paradise. No amount of money could quench the drought inside her. And the men who kissed her, who whispered to her, who played the part weren’t offering love. They needed something too. Just as much.

A life where love is a transaction.
Where emotions have a price.
Where loneliness hides behind desire.

Would you call that paradise?