What happens when you finally win the award you spent your whole life chasing — and it gives you nothing?In this episode of The Midlife Remix, Steven Miyao sits down with Simon Verhoeven — one of Germany's most successful film directors, son of Senta Berger and the late Michael Verhoeven, and the filmmaker behind the acclaimed, award-honored tragicomedy Ach, diese Lücke, diese entsetzliche Lücke (Die Lücke). But this conversation has nothing to do with making movies. Simon and Steven have been friends for more than 50 years — their families go back generations, and they were photographed together as babies in the same backyard.Both men recently lost their fathers. Both have mothers in their eighties. In a rare, unguarded talk, they explore what it means to suddenly become ”the adult” in the family, why external success no longer brings satisfaction, and the difference between chasing validation and finding it within yourself. Simon shares the surreal moment a ”wave of warmth” washed over him on a film set — fifteen minutes before he learned his father had died — and why he believes the void grief leaves behind shouldn't be closed, but carried.Along the way: how to find stillness in a world built to prevent it, how to care for aging parents without trying to ”fix” their pain, and what we hope to pass on to our children — independent thinking, presence, and the courage to keep saying hello even as we learn to say goodbye.Host: Steven Miyao — The Midlife RemixGuest: Simon Verhoeven — award-winning German filmmaker and director (Die Lücke)—Für unsere deutschsprachigen Zuschauer: In dieser Folge spricht Steven Miyao mit Regisseur Simon Verhoeven (Ach, diese Lücke, diese entsetzliche Lücke) — über Trauer, das Erwachsenwerden mit 50, den Tod seines Vaters und warum man die Lücke, die ein geliebter Mensch hinterlässt, nicht schließen, sondern in sich tragen sollte. Ein seltenes, sehr persönliches Gespräch zwischen zwei Freunden seit über 50 Jahren.CHAPTERS00:00 — A Wave, and a Goodbye (cold open)00:58 — Meet Simon: 50 Years of Friendship02:58 — The Fire to Make Films05:54 — When ”Making It” Feels Like Nothing09:26 — Internal vs. External Validation12:02 — The Void You're Not Supposed to Close15:35 — The Wave on the Film Set18:31 — Finding Stillness in a Noisy World22:05 — Caring for Our Aging Mothers31:27 — What We Pass On to Our Children#SimonVerhoeven #DieLücke #Grief #MidlifeJourney #MidlifeRemix #StevenMiyao #SentaBerger #agingparents