Why I Watch Movies

Forgive me if I've covered this before.  I hear most people explain why they watch movies  - escape.  Escape from their humdrum and/or sad lives.  Of course they watch T.V. series for the same reason.  Fantasies are especially popular for folks as they watch heroes - who don't share their inadequacies - save the day.  Currently, superhero epics rule most of the box office.  Increasingly, people are less interested (have you spoken with your co-workers lately?) in human stories, movies that examine reality with a sharp lens, unless it's some cheesy Lifetime drama.  Yes, there are many quality productions that do, but face it, they're in the minority.

I watch all sort of films.  My criteria is hard to explain.  My interest in a film is often due to a director or writer.  Less so for the actors, though I have many I admire.  Time periods also drive what I see. Genre? Often.  Subject? Sometimes.  What a film is about isn't really all that important.  How the story is told is what ignites my passion.

And I don't treat movies as escape.  They are a part of life.  Just like eating, sleeping, working, socializing.  The appreciation of them follows suit of how I can judge fine dining establishments. And one must eat, right?  Art in the broader sense is essential for life.  It follows Faith and Love in my "Hierachy of Needs". 

Sure, I get lost in them.  You could call that "escape".  But I don't seek them to forget disappointments in my life.  Duck depression.  Or erase the memory of a lousy day.   A great work of art may make you reconsider that day, what you could learn from it.  Lousy days are also great fodder for humor.  An insightful film can make the world feel smaller.  Bergman's gut wrenching dramas can illuminate the fact that you're not the first to suffer any number of trauma. Recognizance deepens the experience.  I find that that is part of life.

And so is a goofy comedy or destructive adventure.  Cinema will never replace human interaction, but it can most certainly enhance it.