Monday, April 19, 2010

What lies beneath

What a difference a day makes. Today was a ‘sun is shining, birds are singing, work is getting done’ kind of day. Polished off the To Do list, went out for lunch, bought The Great Gatsby (I blush even as I admit I’ve never read it), went to choir and then, in an event worthy of the front page of this week’s local paper, went to the movies.

On my own.

There are two schools of thought regarding Tickets For One at the cinema. You’re either in the camp (mixing metaphors, who me?) who loves the idea (that would be me) or in the camp that suggests that people who venture solo to the movies are sad, lonely losers with no life and no friends.

Hmmm.

Anyhoo.

I could try winning you over with the whole ‘watching a movie with someone is like reading a book over someone’s shoulder’ argument, but nobody really buys that. So I’ll try something different.

It's fun. There is nothing like sitting in the dark by yourself, with your own (small) softdrink and your own (large) bag of M&Ms. You, the chocolate, the intimacy of the cinema, and a story writ large across the screen.

You can laugh when you like without censorship. Cry into your popcorn if you want to. Mutter under your breath. Roll Jaffas down the aisle. Whatever floats your boat.

You have personal space out the wazoo (nobody ever wants to sit near the weirdo on their own) and the pleasure of at least 90 minutes of pure escapism.

In Fibrotown, there’s even an added bonus. Choose a late-night (that would be 9pm) session and a slightly off-beat film (anything less than Avatar should do it), and you’ll also have the whole place to yourself. Yep, private screenings. But don’t tell anyone.

I was a bit disappointed to walk in tonight and discover that I had to share my cinema with a crowd of five. But we all sat in different rows so, you know, I didn’t have to get all Diva-like about it.

When it was over, I stood up – before the credits finished rolling – slipped out the side door, into the car and home. Simple. Neat. Easy.

Too easy for the ‘Movies are for two’ crowd. You’re right, I didn’t have anyone to discuss the film with. But that’s okay. Most of the time I like to sit with a film for a little while. Think about it. Let it roll around in my head.

If we’d been together at the film, you’d have asked me ‘what did you think?’. I’d have said ‘I liked it, bit sad at the end’. And then we would have had coffee and talked about Brendan Cowell’s ears.

On my own, I got to think about the beauty of the Flanders blue mud. The many nuances of male relationships. The ingenuity of man. The futility of war. How incredibly uncomfortable those World War One uniforms must have been in all that water. Why there’s a sporting fixture in every war movie. And how clever Jeremy Sims was to come up with this particular film at this particular time.

The movie was Beneath Hill 60. It’s well worth seeing. I suggest you go on your own.

9 comments:

  1. I prefer going to the cinema on my own! Well, that's not entirely true. But I'm perfectly happy to. You can wallow in the film, sniff loudly, and like you say, slip out at the end. The last film I saw on my own was The Squid and the Whale. Very telling. This film hasn't reached our shores yet but it could be a contender.

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  2. I love a solo trip to the movies. Best part? I don't have to share my M&Ms. =>

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  3. Oh, that sounds perfect. Right, that's it, I'm going solo - and soon!

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  4. Which reminds me of the time I was happily on my own in the most immense stadium-like Hoyts cinema, settling in as the movie began and SOMEONE CAME AND SAT DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME. Words fail me. I may never get over it.

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  5. If I could only go to the cinema, I'd be so happy. Kid-free movie time is a luxury that seems to have vanished. But in my uni days, I would often sneak off the movies on my own. Love it!

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  6. The pink fibro keeps me coming back. Oh fibro, why were you ever made? I love being by myself. The other day I went and had a coffee on my own, and then lunch. It was lovely! I've had someone tell me that they would NEVER do that as people would think they had not friends (boy there are a lot of that's and they's in that but I don't want to think about how to write it better atm). Goodness, I've never thought about it at all like that. I rather think people will say, "She is comfortable in her own company."

    I think after you have children, you love any alone-time.

    I'm glad today is a better day.

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  7. I love going to the movies by myself! The only time I regretted it was when I was about 22 and I went to the late showing of Psycho II and had to drive home alone in an open jeep. A little creepy, but I survived to tell about it.

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  8. I'm a loner. I love shopping alone, eating out alone, going to the movies alone - anything. But just because it's a rarity, I think.

    But I also think it's a shame that some people never experience that; it's a good thing to be comfortable with your own company.

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  9. Movies, dinner, night clubbing, travelling - even Tokyo Disneyland!

    I find it terribly liberating. To be completely and utterly selfish for a ahort period of time is a rare thing for women and I really enjoy those moments of not having to compromise.

    I'll do it my way, see what I want to see, eat what I want and have a fabulous time - and then return to the fold to share.

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