Watching a Film at the Cinema

It’s another Friday evening, the end of another 40-hour school week, and this time I’m sitting comfortably in the best seat in the house – not my house, but rather I’m referring to a communal commercial public building, you know that one you might have seen at your local shopping center.

There’s popcorn in my lap, although because refreshments are expensive at the current moment, I sometimes sneak in my own popcorn, but don’t tell anyone I said that, especially the manager, who will be none too pleased about that.

My eyes gaze at the enlarged screen as the trailers and the commercials roll out. A nice cool sensation tingles inside me because this place has air conditioning, which is incredibly well-needed on hot summer days.

Most important, though, is that I’m enjoying myself, releasing a sigh of relief because this is where I want to be to get away from the frustrations of American adolescent life.

All is well at the movie theaters, the place where one has the ultimate movie-going experience. It’s where I enjoy watching movies the most these days, with its grandiose and aesthetic nature when you walk into one. It’s a event, essentially.

Time just stops when those lights start to dim, with the chatter stops and the studio logos pop up along with the logos of the production companies producing the work of art with which I’m about to be shown right before my eyes, literally. And when the first shot of the film appears, an excitement runs throughout my body as I’m immersed into this other world unfamiliar, yet strangely familiar to me.

I’m engaged within the story presented to me, with its characters and lavish scenery and beautiful dialogue. The movies make me feel these surprising emotions whenever something interesting shocking happens. I’m in shock when a character I care about dies,  like that one guy from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

I’m on the edge of my seat when a thrilling car chase ensues like the kind in the Fast & Furious movies. Never it occur to me that cars can fly, but that only happens in the movies, or does it?

I scream in horror when a person that probably shouldn’t have gone into that haunted house suffers a terrible fate. I rejoice when the hero, especially a superhero, defeats the villain, reassuring me that good always conquers evil.

Indeed, nothing beats getting lost in the fiction film brings, yet I find that film is very much grounded in realism, not only because a film’s canvas is the world in the flesh, but also because of the insight film gives me about the human condition. Life is like a box of chocolates, in a way. I’m left pondering on its meaning and what the movie means to me, long after I leave the theater. Gaining new perspectives and new ideas from these films helps me deal with harsh realities I face in the real world. That’s why so many of those struggling to make ends meet during the Great Depression would spare a dime to go the movies.

The magic that happens when watching a movie is mesmerizing because going to the movie is very much like going to the circus; it truly is the greatest show on earth, displayed through a more advanced medium of a camera. It’s why my belief in what I consider to be the definitive movie-going experience is so strong. Film instills into me happiness and meaning, as any other art form does. Life is too short to let reality bring us down, hence, film gives us the strength to carry on.

It’s too bad that going to the movies can be difficult these days as tickets are incredibly expensive and entertainment can be found elsewhere in today’s society. People watch movies at home on their TVs, smartphones, laptops, through their streaming services more than they do at the theatre, which is sad when I think about it.

I long to see a time when going to the movies is something everyone can do, but for now, I’m going to enjoy the experience while I still can.