I was dealing with some depression yesterday, which spilled over into today, as depression often does. I had accepted a friend’s invitation to watch a movie tonight and was having second thoughts. Just climbing into bed and pulling the covers over my head was so appealing.
It had been a rather emotionally intense week for me and I was struggling with wondering if what I was doing on-line or in my music was worth the choice to focus on that and not other things, if I was actually making a difference, if what I was doing meant something.
He said I would like it. He was so sure he taped it for me. Though I wasn’t in much of a social mood, but because of his thoughtfulness I decided to grab a bucket of chicken and go on over.
And I’m glad I did. The movie was “Lady in the Water” and it really touched me. I know there were a number of critics who didn’t like it for a variety of reasons, but then there have been a few movies that got rave reviews that I thought were a total waste of my time.
I love fantasy and fairy tales, but this movie was more to me than that. It told just enough of a storyline without filling in all the blanks. It introduced just enough of the characters to weave the pieces of a story together…a story that was more like a parable to me than a chapter book. I like not having to have everything spoon fed to me. That way I have to actually use more brain cells to interpret meaning and the story becomes more personal and speaks more personally to me.
Some of the criticism I read were totally fixated on the fact that the author/director put himself in the role of the writer who’s work would change the course of humanity. They thought that was arrogant. I thought their inability to get past that weird. I didn’t care why he might have chosen to play that part. So what?
The story, itself, worked for me, and I didn’t see the character of the writer as a reflection of the author as much as a gift to the viewer to consider perhaps they, too, play a very important part of the fabric of humanity, even though they may not be aware of just how. And that’s just what I needed to be reminded of tonight.
I, also, loved the message of the most wounded offering the most healing, the idea that someone outside of ourselves can care enough to reach in, and those who offer help are often, in turn, helped by us.
An unexpected inspiration, I feel a weight lifted, and for now, that’s good enough for me.
