long posts about completely unrelated films, part one.

i have recently watched a shitload of movies. mostly bc it is a really nice way to pass time. and also, i want to be sure i am getting the most out of my blockbuster account. two of the movies i have recently viewed are "the happening" and "monster."

everyone i have spoken to was very adamant about not wasting my life watching "the happening." but how can i pass up an m. night shyamalan film?!?! the majority opinion seemed to be that it was just dumb. nobody had any good reasons though. so of course i had to see for myself. also, i usually really enjoy movies most people hate and i hate the ones that most people love. maybe i just like being different, who knows. anyway, i dont know what was not to like about "the happening." it was: original. there is no disputing that claim. who else is going to make a movie about serial suicides?? it was also: suspenseful. the whole time through i was really into it, wondering what the hell was going on and what was going to happen. i will say, the movie was relationally lacking. i didnt really buy the relationship between elliot and alma, although i LOVE both mark wahlberg and of course zoe deschanel. but something was just missing there. okay, all of that aside...i found the ending to be the most significant for me...

spoiler alert: so the "plot" of the happening, i guess - is that there is this stuff in the air that, when exposed to, makes people kill themselves. so if you are outside when this wind passes through, youre dead. elliot and alma and their friend's daughter, jess, somehow manage to escape this wind through the entire film. in the end, they end up at this old woman's house and are relatively safe. at some point, however, alma and jess go to something like a guest house that is connected to the main house, but not a part of it. elliot is in the main house. as they are separated, they realize that something in the air has changed. if they leave their posts, they are bound to die. so they sit for a while. and then, for whatever reason, elliot and alma decide to run out to each other, despite the deadly air.

i guess i enjoyed this last scene of elliot and alma running toward each other because i have been thinking a lot about love and relationships these days. i have been wondering if they are worth the effort and energy we put into them. and i have been wondering if there were an easier way to do relationships. a way that doesnt leave us so vulnerable. but this movie, or this scene at least, made me realize that there isnt. love is realizing that we are better off facing death together than living life alone. love is stepping out of our solitude and braving the elements and sacrificing our well being just to be there for another. there is no other way to do it. we cant do anything about the atmosphere we step into in an effort to love one another. sometimes the air will be clean and pure and lovely, but other times it may cost us our lives. and the point is that we move toward one another either way. and if this movie reveals any kind of truth. and if the christian narrative reveals any kind of truth. (i know, i am a heretic for suggesting "the happening" is in any way a reflection of the story of christ, but bear with me...) if love is true, then it will be okay in the end, despite the elements in the air. and even when it is not okay, it is...because we are in it together. and that can be enough in its own way.

so that is what i took from the happening, but i was quickly brought down by one of the following movies i viewed, monster...and i will reflect on that experience in a following post so as not to bore the shit out of you if i havent already...