Im at work at the moment and Ive got a few minutes to spare so Id thought Id share with you a little glimpse of why I love film and what it does to me. (After all Im going to do a Masters in it hopefully so I should have some reason to do it!) Yesterday I watched two films showing at the Riverside Studios called Before Sunrise and Before Sunset back to back. Now both are Romantic comedies, and usually I detest these types of films. It usually consists of two people who dont like each other at the beginning, realise they do and then overcome all obstacles to finally fall in love at the end. There are many variations to the theme but they in all cases they arent really realistic about the portrayal of relationships- most of them are a bit shit. Before Sunrise is one of the few romantic films I can actually watch without throwing up. Its about an American called Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and a Frenchwoman Cecile (Julie Delpy) who meet on a train one day and something happens. Theres a spark. You know that feeling you get when you start talking to somebody and you just cant stop talking? Or you sit across somebody on a train whos extremely beautiful and you keep looking at each other in that kind of uncomfortable way where you cant help yourself and purposely look away in case they are looking straight at you? You dont know what it is but there is something there. But this must happen to everybody at some point. And in 99% of these cases you get off the train with the feeling that you should have done something, but didnt. This happens all the time. But what happens if you dont? Imagine like Jesse, that you get back on the train and decide that this is the one chance that you have to find out what happens after this first initial meeting I think this was filmed before mobile phones got so popular, but do you honestly reckon that you would get in touch together even if you had swapped numbers? It doesnt happen. Thats the point where you have to go for it. You live in different countries this is your only opportunity.
In Vienna you have only 12 hours to properly get to know each other, fall in love and leave each other again. You keep talking. You cant help looking at each other. You cant help but kiss and you cant help but make love. You talk about life, your plans, your dreams, your hopes. You feel so comfortable with each other that you cant imagine anybody else at that moment, but youve only got until sunrise until you have to leave each other.
At 14 it was just sad but I never fully understood it. At 24 you kind of see it more clearly. Its hard to describe properly, but do you remember those pojnts of childhood where time stood still? Like you were looking up at the stars with somebody you love and then remember it for the rest of your life? You forget the rest of what was happening but at that one point it was magical? Memories that you actually remember like it was yesterday? Its like Jesse and Cecile. Because these 12 hours are so short you have to make every minute of that time count. And every minute of that time is so intense that it is locked into your brain forever. Maybe if you stayed together it might have been different and this is one of the many conversations they have. You might have discovered all the annoying parts of the other person and a few years down the line you might start hating each other and people do that when they are young. But imagine if you felt a love that intense and then you think to yourself I just want to remember it like this. I dont want it to fizzle out through email or post or whatever. Lets just remember this time and never see each other again. And thats what they do. Before they separate they decide that theyll just remember that time.
But thats impossible to do. At the last moment they decide that six months from that point theyll come to the same spot and meet each other again. Do you think that theyll actually wait and come to the same point to see each other again? What do you think?
The sequel, Before Sunset, is them ten years down the line. Now I cant really look at things from a thirty something viewpoint so it didnt hit me as hard as its predecessor, but this is the couple ten years after. I cant reveal anything because it means spoiling something, but what it did teach me is that I think there might be a soul-mate for everybody, but the depressing fact is that very few people will find it. I think people do need and settle very easily, and it is usually time, circumstance and work that will in the end decide who you will end up with. Thats why I dont have any respect or illusions about marriage. Its just a piece of paper that seems to tie people down more for convenience than anything else. I really dont want to end up that way. Marriage and children seems to me what people expect you to do rather than what I really would like to do. Sure I would like kids and I know I would devote my life to them but I wouldnt like to do it at the expense of living my life to the full and being the best that I can be. Thats life though. Its difficult. Thats what makes it so fun. Buddhists talk about getting rid of your desires will make you happy, but isnt the wanting, the build-up, the search for happiness more exciting then the point where you have it all?
Yes- I fall in love with films. Never really thought about it until now.
In Vienna you have only 12 hours to properly get to know each other, fall in love and leave each other again. You keep talking. You cant help looking at each other. You cant help but kiss and you cant help but make love. You talk about life, your plans, your dreams, your hopes. You feel so comfortable with each other that you cant imagine anybody else at that moment, but youve only got until sunrise until you have to leave each other.
At 14 it was just sad but I never fully understood it. At 24 you kind of see it more clearly. Its hard to describe properly, but do you remember those pojnts of childhood where time stood still? Like you were looking up at the stars with somebody you love and then remember it for the rest of your life? You forget the rest of what was happening but at that one point it was magical? Memories that you actually remember like it was yesterday? Its like Jesse and Cecile. Because these 12 hours are so short you have to make every minute of that time count. And every minute of that time is so intense that it is locked into your brain forever. Maybe if you stayed together it might have been different and this is one of the many conversations they have. You might have discovered all the annoying parts of the other person and a few years down the line you might start hating each other and people do that when they are young. But imagine if you felt a love that intense and then you think to yourself I just want to remember it like this. I dont want it to fizzle out through email or post or whatever. Lets just remember this time and never see each other again. And thats what they do. Before they separate they decide that theyll just remember that time.
But thats impossible to do. At the last moment they decide that six months from that point theyll come to the same spot and meet each other again. Do you think that theyll actually wait and come to the same point to see each other again? What do you think?
The sequel, Before Sunset, is them ten years down the line. Now I cant really look at things from a thirty something viewpoint so it didnt hit me as hard as its predecessor, but this is the couple ten years after. I cant reveal anything because it means spoiling something, but what it did teach me is that I think there might be a soul-mate for everybody, but the depressing fact is that very few people will find it. I think people do need and settle very easily, and it is usually time, circumstance and work that will in the end decide who you will end up with. Thats why I dont have any respect or illusions about marriage. Its just a piece of paper that seems to tie people down more for convenience than anything else. I really dont want to end up that way. Marriage and children seems to me what people expect you to do rather than what I really would like to do. Sure I would like kids and I know I would devote my life to them but I wouldnt like to do it at the expense of living my life to the full and being the best that I can be. Thats life though. Its difficult. Thats what makes it so fun. Buddhists talk about getting rid of your desires will make you happy, but isnt the wanting, the build-up, the search for happiness more exciting then the point where you have it all?
Yes- I fall in love with films. Never really thought about it until now.
jackie:
i love your conclusion...so true!