This year one of my resolutions is to go see more movies. I find that even in the age of Netflix and Hulu, I never watch TV at home except for the occasional sporting event. Something about mentally committing to two hours to watch a movie in front of my TV makes me feel guilty, like maybe I could be doing something more productive.
Going out to a movie, on the other hand, is much more rewarding. It makes me feel like I’m engaging with the world instead of just staring at a computer screen, and the experience of being in a dark room and a big screen heightens the overall experience.
(I created the Boulder Movie Meetup Group to help me stick to my resolution. So far over 100 people have signed up. Join us!)
Last week we saw Melancholia. I’ve wanted to see this since it came out. It got good reviews, and I enjoyed this interview with star Kirsten Dunst on Fresh Air.
In a nutshell, the movie is about a depressed woman and her sister confronting the possibility that the world may end from a collision with another planet. I’d heard good things about the movie and really wanted to like it. I did like Kirsten Dunst playing the depressed sister. As someone who’s struggled with depression myself, I thought she was believable without being overly dramatic.
But… overall the movie Was. Very. Slow. I get it: depression is kind of like Zen. You live in the moment, it’s just that every moment sucks. However, I couldn’t help wondering when we were going to get to the good part. The good part eventually did come, but not until the last 30 seconds of the movie. Oh well.