MOVIES THAT MOVED ME THROUGH
CHEAPER THAN A THERAPIST AND MAYBE AS EFFECTIVE. MOVIES THAT MOVED ME THROUGH 2020.
OK, so I will start by saying it was mostly humans who helped me move through this unexpected year without losing it. Or maybe I lost it, and they helped me find it again, but there was another companion that never failed to inspire, make cause for pause, and put things in perspective when it was truly mind over matter. My dynamic friend Cinema was there scene-by-scene as we went from lock down to job loss to booming industries to a reconnection with the intimate moments we often breeze by as we are making our way to work, to the bar, to the gym, or to the salon; which I miss!
Below is a list of a few past and present moving picture stories that reeled me in, picked me up, and reminded me why I am on this planet!
WHEN I FELT THE MOST ALONE
I stumbled on this film when I was moving into month two of covid lockdown in Brooklyn. At this point, my groceries were being delivered, work was 100% remote, I didn’t have many close friends in NYC to build a bubble with, and work was tough. I got out on my bike a few days a week, but it was pretty dark for everyone at this point. Things this film did for me: 1. Reminded me how lucky I was to be alive, healthy, and free. 2. Motivated me to donate to the Innocence Project. Check them out if you have time.
CROWN HEIGHTS. Watch it here.
WHEN I NEEDED TO LAUGH SO HARD MY FACE HURT
The release of this film couldn’t have come at a better time. It is funny, romantic, and absurd in the best possible way. Things this film did for me: 1. Introduced me to Andy Siara who wrote the film- I am going to follow his career for sure! 2. On a normal Tuesday, we are all looking for stories to identify with about the mundane parts of our lives played out in dramatic style by Julia Roberts. Palm Springs did that for me pandemic style. They normalized a very abnormal world in a poignant way. You will dig it. 3. Made me like Cristin Milioti a lot. She’s so good in this!
Palm Springs. Watch it here.
WHEN I THOUGHT WE WERE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF IT
For that brief moment, we all thought the curve was flat and slowly the world would go back to normal. People started getting their nails did and went back to the gym and then bam…..second wave, as predicted by all those smart medical people. That’s when I wanted to find another world, even more dystopian than ours to get lost in. Things this film did for me: 1. Gave me a grimmer picture to make mine a bit brighter. 2. Please see #1.
28 Days Later. Watch here.
WHEN THINGS ENDED WITH MY COVID BFF
I have gone long stretches without a parter. I am a trained marathon runner in the being single department. I had moved to NYC, was very alone for the first time and was 41 years old. My job at the time filled my days, and I did date, but nobody was sticking. Covid hit, and I figured it was time for another round of marathon training. I was happily surprised when I met someone at the start of covid and we clicked. I liked his optimism and he liked stuff and things about me! We did the socially distance dates and then became not so socially distant. We had to commit to each other due to safety, so we got to really know each other. After a few months, I realized I didn’t want the current life I was living and he didn’t want to ask the questions you need to when you date someone who’s 41. When would we have to have kids, do I want to commit right now..etc. He ended things and I prepared to move from NYC to LA. I thought of him often, and we ended up getting back together until I moved permanently.
So here I am on the west coast, covid free, and dating again. I follow the same socially distanced dating procedure and in some cases, we have both had a covid test, so proximity wasn’t a major issue. As I got to know more people, I thought to myself; what truly bonds people to each other? Was it common goals? Was it patience? Was it humor? I watched so many relationships evolve around me through job loss, depression, and new more promising life stages. Watching Pieces of a Woman encapsulated not the question above, but many of the answers.
Going deep hurts. It requires an honesty and truth that sometimes we aren’t ready to provide. The film strips back the social conditioning that causes us to hide those truths and lays bare what happens when life does it for us. We can try and keep those fears and judgements buried, but life will push them trough the sidewalk cracks. Things this film did for me: 1. Reminded me that love is hard, life is hard, and we all need to be more empathetic to each other 2. Highlighted that sometimes people will never know how to heal their wounds.
Pieces of a Woman. Watch it here.
WHEN I WAS THOUGHT IT WOULD NEVER END
After seven months in and out of quarantine, no matter your income level, situation, or location; it’s going to get to you. The conflicting opinions of your friends and family, the anti-maskers, and a side of QANON really lead me to believe it was time for the aliens to descend and let us know we are all in the Truman Show. But dammit, that third act has yet to materialize. So I looked for perspective and stumbled upon an older piece of art that still stands up after decades.
Baraka is a moving picture book that contains a full-bodied birds-eye view into the evolution of contemporary society. From juxtapositioned visuals moving from the organic fields in Asia to the autonomous factories in the US, we are led down a path of self-reflection; with an emphasis on the contrast between the natural world around us and man made materials, worlds, and landscapes.
It could lead the viewer to think about the origin story of viruses like Coronavirus and others that were born from animals. Although we have re-created them in labs, they seem to start when there is an imbalance between nature and the mutations we create. Baraka is also a love letter to both the splendours of our human creations alongside the beauty we see every day in a rice field or forest. Things this film did for me: 1. Reminded me I am small next to the world 2. Made me think really hard about becoming a vegetarian.
Baraka. Watch it here.
WHEN I NEEDED SOME INSPERTATINMENT (Entertainment+Inspiration)
I accepted an amazing opportunity to work in NYC—-and when I accepted the role, another one came up on the west coast, which is where I really wanted to be. For reasons of security and…well, that was the main driver; I chose the east coast. I spent most of my time working, travelling to work, talking about work, or planning for work. I am 110% in when I work, but I was also looking for a lifestyle that brought me joy and a bit of balance. Hiking and biking and going on adventures was hard in NYC and when covid hit, we were all placed in our human filing cabinets and told to hold for….you know, forever.
I hadn’t made the wrong decision and I am really proud of the work I did, but I have months to reflect on the life I wanted to live and the culture I wanted to work for. I needed a little kick in the pants to redirect my compass to due west and in addition to the great advice I got from friends, I also remembered anytime I watched Working Girl, I was always so jacked after. It made me think of my mom with her giant shoulder pads and fashionable shoe clips. It reminded me that it hasn’t been that long that women were treated as equally as they are now (getting there!). Things this film did for me: 1. Reminded me that life is short. Do work that inspires you. Find the right culture for you. Get messy. Tell them you love them even if you know they don’t love you back. Make mistakes. Try hard. Ask for forgiveness. Don’t be afraid.
Working Girl. Watch it here.