My wife doesn’t like sad movies. Says she doesn’t like dramas, period. Musicals, silly comedies, some fantasies, occasionally campy sci-fi, yes. But not dramas. Too sad. Unwanted reminders of real life. That’s also why she doesn’t like the cringe comedy of The Office. Me, I love a little tragedy, a little punch to the gut. I distrust cloying art. Is it avoiding or can it just not see? When we met, I was a film critic. My standard answer to “favorite movie” was either Magnolia or Bicycle Thieves. Did I feel a little pretentious? Yes. Yes, I did. They weren’t frequent rewatches, but I loved the complexities and how they made me feel something (à la NIN’s “Hurt”). I still love to see hearts and lives rent on the screen. But I’ve moved much more in my wife’s direction than she mine (in many things). I suppose some of it is escapism. I don’t need reminding of the daily horrors. And there’s so much unnecessary drama in so many dramas. Yes, show me when things fall apart. Show me the places that scare me. But what I really want to see: how the hurts tenderize, how the broken threads get restitched, how we find our way home together.
If this resonates, I’d love to hear from you. A comment, a share, or even just a like goes a long way. Writing into the silence is its own practice, but knowing the work lands makes it easier to keep showing up.