The importance of context.
By Aaron Licht
Which movies mean the most to you? Do you cherish those DVDs to a freakishly inappropriate level? Have you asked yourself, in the cold hard light of 1 AM, why?
So you’ve seen The Royal Tenenbaums, Donnie Darko, or even Caddyshack more than you’ve prayed to God? And why are those particular movies so damned important? Sure, sure, there are those ‘entertainment’ elements: a career-defining performance, acute hilarity or time travelling goodness. You might even worship Tenenbaums’s quirky mise-en-scene. Or is it that the story speaks to something that concerns you personally? Do you have family problems, sleepwalking problems or, uh, groundhog problems? Perhaps the reason the movie is truly special to you has to do with a contextual factor - maybe you saw Donnie Darko with your first boyfriend, the same night you realized that you loved the idiot.
When the time & place influence our cinematic experience, it can be amazingly hard to stay objective.
Key to the whole contextual matter is often with whom you saw the movie. Sometimes the immense personal value of a movie hits you right away. As the credits swell, you’re either overcome with joy or thinking about the thick frost on the car windshield. If you’re still undecided post screening, the first words from your friend’s mouth may shape your entire perspective on the movie. After my brother’s first viewing of The Fellowship of the Ring,while the post-screening glow was about to wash over him, the first words from his friend were “well, that’s finally over.” That’s just wrong. Of course he still loves the film, but those words tainted the experience. So my advice is to save harsh words until you’ve let your friend’s own reaction register. And more importantly, if you eagerly anticipate the film, choose your friends wisely!
If a new friend asks to borrow an amazing movie from your DVD collection, are you confident that you can objectively select the ideal movie? Soon after I moved into my current apartment, my new roommate asked for something to watch with her boyfriend. With some consideration I lent her my DVD of Sex, Lies & Videotape. I was fourteen when I first saw this film. Sure, the sex talk was titillating, but more than anything I responded to the story’s simplicity & honesty. Four characters, relationships entwined, arguing, confessing and videotaping. James Spader’s Zen-like lifestyle made him one of the few movie characters I wished to emulate. When I recently rediscovered the film it was like meeting an old friend.
And I still can’t understand how Sex, Lies & Videotape failed them. Calling the film a sex comedy probably led them to expect an American Pie. The two must have wanted more light-hearted laughs. Perhaps their relationship wasn’t ready for the film’s frank discussion of sexuality and perhaps they should have watched it separately. Clearly that’s not for me to decide.
Whenever a friend dislikes a movie I love, I first inquire about context. I don’t assume they only watched too much trash with their friends in high school, had a difficult childhood or that they just don’t ‘get it’ (I assume that later). First I wonder where they saw it (in the theatre, on DVD, or *gasp* on commercial television), whom they saw it with, or if they had a fever, had to pee or even if the freakin’ $7 popcorn was stone cold!
con.text
1. That which surrounds, and gives meaning to, something else.
2. Discourse that surrounds a language unit and helps to determine its interpretation.
Here’s a perfect example. I first saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind during its opening week. I went with a good buddy with whom I’d also seen Kaufman’s Adaptation. We were both still obsessed with that ubersmart film. But on that particular night I hadn’t seen my friend for months and we met at the theatre just as it started. The truth of the matter is that I was more into joking around with him than watching the film. We simply couldn’t get into the story. We were bored.
Throughout 2004, I got tired of hearing about the brilliant Eternal Sunshine. A friend even credits the movie as changing her perspective on life. Normally, I’d be right there with the other indie-cult fans. Not this time. I never hesitated to voice my indifference for the film.
Then, ten months later, I was searching Queen Video with my ex-girlfriend. I winced the moment she grabbed Eternal Sunshine... until I thought, that’s right, it was the perfect context! A film about our inability to forget the people we love; there’s nobody better than a friendly ex to engage with that theme! So there we were, cuddled on the couch, tears in our eyes - a thoroughly mushy scene. Technically it was the same movie as before, right? Not for me! Behold the power of context to affect the viewing experience. Now I can confidently say with the rest of you: Eternal Sunshine is brilliant!
Many cinephiles have the tendency to romanticize the power of the cinema, as if Eternal Sunshine would appeal to anyone with half a brain and mere fragments of a heart. But we don’t seem to put the same pressure on other works of art. Nobody expects everyone to adore their favourite painting. Some people just don’t know how to respond: how to bring your own shit into the experience, or leave that shit at the door.
Needless to say, movie watching context is only one of the many factors that explain why each of us become obsessed with radically different movies. I’ve been toying around with making a personal documentary-essay on the subject. I’d interview dozens of people from all walks of life and see how they react to the same film. Anyone want to discuss an unusual movie obsession? (Don’t feel ashamed, it is Caddyshack, isn’t it?)
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