Celluloid Catharsis

Sundance starts in a few days and I've got movies on the mind. Let's briefly examine why a hard-hearted cynic like me can turn to mush in a theater seat.

I was reminded this weekend during Atonement of a few things that will always strike the deepest, most emotional chord with me. The first is regret. The desire to turn back time and change its outcome seems to be one of the deepest human emotions, a particularly frustrating one since it's aggravatingly elusive. The healthy thing would be to learn and move on, but sometimes you can't help hearing the softly lamenting question of "what if...?"

This scene from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind completely melted me when I first saw it in the theater, not only for its portrayal of the indescribably giddy moments we've all felt in a relationship, but the grieving loss and reflective look backwards when they're taken away. The sublime moment is when Clementine whispers in Joel's ear before their last memories together are erased and the reason I cannot keep a dry eye every time I see it: loss and regret can still give way to hope and restitution, and what's wrong can be made right one day. Is this what makes my lips tremble every time I read those verses in Luke 22? Is that what keeps me transfixed in a story where lives fall apart and then find a saving grace?


Speaking of P.T. Anderson, when, oh when will this tease stop and finally screen in a theater near me? I'm hungry for an epic.


But don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom on the silver screen: movies are also nice since they can document this crazy thing called love.


And that's always nice.