So yesterday, I finally got around to watching Maleficent, and it is the best. I had heard that it was a good movie, but I honestly wasn't prepared for just how good it is. I must warn you that the following will contains spoilers, so if you haven't seen it yet, I suggest you rectify that immediately before scrolling past the pictorial evidence below of Angelina Jolie being fabulous.
So, now that we can speak freely, I could tell you why I found it such a fitting film to watch on Valentine's day even though I had no idea and couldn't have known, and in fact first watched it on that day by pure coincidence. But then again, since you've seen it, I don't have to tell you because you already know. The whole film is one big "screw you" to the very idea of romantic love, and most of all that horrible fairytale version of "true love" in which some random prince dude rides in, sees a pretty young thing sleeping about, all delicious looking and helpless, and, mistaking the huge bulge in his princely leggings for true passion, takes all of five seconds to make up some bullshit on how that girl who he knows nothing about must be the love of his life, which he swiftly takes as justification to sexually assault the sleeping beauty, thus accidentally breaking whichever curse she happened to be under, for which she is so grateful that she has pretty much no choice than to love-of-my-life him right back.
Instead, in this film, true love is about really knowing someone and caring for them. It is mutual. It is selfless. It is not necessarily about being family, being lovers or life partners, or even friends in the usual sense. It does not require one to be a flawless person, or even a "good" one. I imagine that just like me, everyone who saw the film realised somewhere mid-story that there could only be one person whom Aurora could possibly receive "true love's kiss" from, but I have to say that for a long time I did not dare hope that the film would actually go there, even though it should have been obvious at the very least from the moment that Maleficent saved wee Aurora toddler from falling off that cliff that this was exactly where the story was bound to go.
Imagine my joy when young Prince Phillip remained unsuccessful in his reluctantly administered kiss therapy and when later Maleficent apologised to the sleeping Aurora and confessed how the latter had "stolen what was left of my heart". "She's going to kiss her," I was going in my head, "oh my gosh, she is going to kiss her on the forehead, and then Aurora will wake up. It is actually happening."
I could go on and on about all the things I loved about this film - the absolutely beautiful visuals; the symbolism of the stolen wings; the fact that it was a true and proper redemption story, with no attempts made to excuse or belittle Maleficent's evil actions - and maybe mention a few things I wasn't quite satisfied with, but I don't want to bore anyone. Suffice it to say that Malificent instantly made it into my list of five or six all-time favourites, and is definitely my new favourite Disney film. And since I like so much what it has to say about love, I'm thinking about making it my new tradition to watch it every Valentine's day. I went ahead today and bought the DVD, but I will probably not wait a whole year before watching it again.
So now that you've made it through this sappy love story between me and an intelligent, beautiful movie, I would like to ask you, imaginary readers, whether you have any Valentine's day traditions or rituals besides the usual ones.