The Struggles of Life

This film (drama)Also known asNo Down Payment，is aUSAProducerwomen sex，At1957Released in year 。The dialogue language isEnglish，Current Douban rating7.2(For reference only)。

This film focuses on four couples and portrays the true nature of suburban life in post-war America during the 1950s. In the burgeoning suburban development, everyone wears stylish clothes, lives in spacious and comfortable homes, and appears to lead a carefree life. However, beneath this façade of happiness, everyone is tormented by their own inner demons and struggles. British rock legend David Bowie once mentioned in a letter, “One night I saw an old movie called 'No Down Payment' on television. It's a great film, but if the American lifestyle depicted in this movie is real, it’s really depressing.” The story begins with a young couple, David (played by Jeffrey Hunter) and Jan (played by Patricia Owens), moving into the Sunrise Hills community, where they meet the Klaysers, Herman (played by Pat Hingle) and Betty (played by Barbara Rush), the Flags, Jerry (played by Tony Randall) and Isabel (played by Sherry North), and the Boones, Troy (played by Cameron Mitchell) and Leola (played by Joanne Woodward). David is an engineer, but his boss constantly encourages him to become a salesman for a higher salary, a suggestion supported by his wife, Jan, which troubles him greatly. Furthermore, he is plagued by doubts about his beautiful and charming wife's fidelity and fears his weak, nerdy personality is not enough to keep her. Herman is a city council member who runs a hardware store downtown. His Japanese-American employee, Iku, wishes to move into a white neighborhood and pleads for Herman's help. Although Herman wants to assist, he fears it will cause a stir in the community, leading to arguments with his wife as their differing beliefs exacerbate their disputes. Jerry is a used car salesman obsessed with drinking and womanizing, always longing to make a name for himself. His wife Isabel wishes he would stop drinking and find stable work, but Jerry remains stubborn and resorts to unsavory means to make money. Troy is a veteran who runs a very successful gas station but dreams of becoming the police chief of Sunrise Hills. His wife, Leola, had a child with him before they were married and had to give the baby away, causing frequent arguments between them. Simultaneously, Troy has a crush on David's wife, Jan, and repeatedly tries to get close to her. Though Jan tries to maintain her distance, Troy doesn't give up. David and Leola sense something is amiss but struggle to intervene meaningfully. The delicate dynamics among the four ultimately evolve into a tragedy.