Movies that changed my life
December 10, 2007 · Filed under: Thoughts. Personal.
I love movies. Always have. I also like acting, and I’ve been in a few plays/musicals. I could list my favorite movies on here, and I thought about doing it, but I’ll spare you and try something different instead.
Once in a while I’ll watch a movie that will have me thinking for days. Or I’ll watch it and just sit there on the couch minutes after just taking in what I just saw. Sometimes I’ll watch a movie that affects me so much that I get upset, angry, or just cry. And sometimes, a movie will just completely change how I see the world.
I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced that or not, but it’s happened to me a couple of times, and I thought I’d share those movies and why they changed me. Maybe, if you choose to watch, they can affect you as well. Or maybe not. We’re all different, we’re all attracted to different things… I don’t expect everyone to like what I like.
Anyways.
1. Children of Men—Synopsis: In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child’s birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.
Actually seeing a realistic perception of what this world might end up looking like in a few years is a little scary. And by realistic, I mean this movie doesn’t use CGI, doesn’t have outlandish characters, doesn’t put an emphasis on special effects and/or fantasy, and the situation doesn’t seem that far fetched (especially the immigration issue). Children of Men made me think about a dying generation, the lengths people will go to to keep us “safe”, how fear can deeply affect people and alter all types of circumstances.
2. Edward Scissorhands—Synopsis: An uncommonly gentle young man, who happens to have scissors for hands, falls in love with a beautiful teenage girl.
I have issues with inferiority. I also have issues with people that make others feel inferior, especially when there is no reason for it. Edward, the main character, deeply affected me. It might sound stupid, but in the end of the movie, I wanted to march up to that castle myself, hug him, and just be with him. Because no one should feel alone, be shunned, or cast out, for being different. No one. And after seeing this movie, I vowed to myself that I would never (intentionally, of course, because I’m not perfect) make another person not feel worthy of my attention or love because they were different.
3. Forrest Gump—Synopsis: Forrest Gump, while not intelligent, has accidentally been present at many historic moments, but his true love, Jenny, eludes him.
I fell in love with Forrest Gump. I was 11 when I first saw this movie, and I was too young to really grasp all of the situations that Forrest went through. Then I watched it again, much later, and I cried like a little bitch. I felt good when this movie ended, because despite his differences, Forrest did everything he set out to do, fell in love, became a phenomenon, and raised a son. I know it’s a fictional story, but it gave me hope, that ordinary people can do the extraordinary.
4. Hard Candy—Synopsis: A mature 14-year old girl meets a charming 32-year old photographer on the Internet. Suspecting that he is a pedophile, she goes to his home in an attempt to expose him.
What I love most about this movie is that it shows just how simple humans can drive each other into despair, and it doesn’t take much. Hayley, the main character, manages to manipulate an adult to the point that she makes him go through a torturous experience and force him to make a choice against his will. The ending was shocking as well, to the point that I literally said “Holy. Fuck.” when it ended. And then I sat there and thought about it for like an hour.
5. The Magdalene Sisters—Synopsis: Three young Irish women struggle to maintain their spirits while they endure dehumanizing abuse as inmates of a Magdalene Sisters Asylum.
Towards the end of this movie, I was shaking with anger. Mostly because it’s based on actual events, so it’s not easily dismissed as a “story”. Like I said before, I have issues with inferiority, and that goes right along with injustice. And what these girls went through… I can’t possibly explain to you how deeply it affected me, to think that people could be this cruel to other people. People like us, young and full of promise. To see these Sisters’ spirits be broken down one by one was heartbreaking. I don’t think I’ll watch it again. No happy ending here, folks. Not really.
There’s more, but I think this is long enough.