At least part of it came from the Portuguese roommate he had in mind. Although he is also one of the reasons why he is crazy.
JOHN doesn't have any friends, his parents didn't appear in the film, he's lonely, he doesn't communicate well, his only friend is his Portuguese roommate. Without his support, his encouragement, his enlightenment, his appreciation, and his company, perhaps JOHN would not be able to complete his first thesis. Not to mention being referred to research groups at prestigious universities. Although later this perfect Portuguese roommate was over-reliant on JOHN, he was eventually abandoned.
So JOHN created Portuguese for him, made him handsome, wise, and able to teach at Harvard. He was also afraid that he would be lonely, and arranged for him a niece. Fortunately, having a niece who never grows up allows John to admit to his vision. As a mathematician who has won the Nobel Prize, he can solve the problem he set up by himself.
Perhaps Westerners are more imaginative. Every time they watch a Disney cartoon, when the protagonist hesitates, there will be an angel and a devil. The Portuguese roommate in the film is a set of angels and demons. Let JOHN succeed, but also let him go crazy.
The Chinese people have been themselves since ancient times, so they only need a god to guide the direction. Sometimes it is the Tathagata and Guanyin who purify all sentient beings for goodness. Sometimes it is relatives who come to dream.
From a psychological point of view, hallucinations are a desirable and important event in some cultural or religious situations. Perhaps seen as a manifestation of mental illness, perhaps as a special gift.
So apart from the extreme example of JOHN in the movie, is there a perfect Portuguese roommate in our hearts when we are scared, wandering, lonely and helpless. He will give us warmth and courage to face difficulties.
Who is my Portuguese roommate, Liangliang? Is it SHERRY? Is it Xiaolu? is it BEN? Or myself?
I closed my eyes and started imagining, I thought maybe I needed a handsome, gentle, romantic Portuguese lover to save me.
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