The Obsessive Mind of the Movie Audience

It's strange how the mind works... I had a thought yesterday afternoon and it seems everywhere I have looked since then, things seems to relate and compound on what I was thinking.

After I posted yesterday about Inception, I remembered another point I wanted to make.  I really love the scene when they go to Malaysia to get Yusuf and he shows them the dozens of people who come in everyday to dream for hours on end.  They can only live in the fantasy world and come there to be woken up into the real world.  I thought this was such a telling statement on human psychology. 

I even laughed to myself because I used to work with people who would play World of Warcraft for 4-5 hours a day, up to 12 hours on their day off, and all they talk about at work is where they went, who they killed, what they discovered, what gear they picked up and how they are better than you - in a game!  I chuckle because they never talked about their actual 3-dimensional lives.

This morning FX was showing The Talented Mr. Ripley (the newer one with Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law), which I love so I watched it.  Tom Ripley is one of these people.  He creates a whole world in which he can escape and be someone new.

But then I realized what I am doing here - the entire reason I began this blog was to verbalize the thoughts and revelations and feelings I have about one of my own obsessions: movies, TV, books, basically the story of a life other than my own.  How sad.

So what drives us to live our lives pretending?  I know most people have boring lives.  Rarely does anyone lead a life as interesting as that portrayed on film.  But some people take it further than a mere distraction.  I know when I hear a good story, my mind replays it over and over for days.  Hence, the need to form my thoughts into words to escape the vicious analytical cycle.

I think I know where my obsession with story formed.  I had a truly crappy childhood.  My obsession with movies began at about 12 years old.  I would watch them over and over, memorize entire scenes, buy all the Teen Beat magazines to learn all about my favorite actors - this was long before the Internet brought so much more information instantly to our fingertips.  I was obsessed with favorite actors.  At that time it was Sean Astin, and later turned to Michael J. Fox and Neil Patrick Harris.  Then I began to do theater myself and that opened a whole world to me where I could escape my own nightmare and be someone else, somewhere else, for a little while.  Unfortunately, I always had to go home again, so I began to pretend I was one of these characters all the time.  It wasn't until I met my husband that I began to live my own life.

Okay, that is far more information about myself than I would normally share, but since there are pretty much 2 people who will read this - one who knows me really well now and one who knew me then :-) - I feel okay saying it.  I need to get all this out of my head to see where it leads and hope it leaves me feeling better. 

So, anyway, I immerse myself in story to escape.  Even though my life now is fairly idyllic.  Okay, I hate my job, but who doesn't, really?  I have a  happy marriage, good (though somewhat aggravating) kids who love me.  Yet I still feel the need to escape.  Why is that?

Is it that the people in the stories are so much more interesting?  I know when I watch a movie or TV show, especially the ones I really like, the reason I enjoy them is because I can see myself in the character's place, going through their experiences and reacting to the their world.  This, ultimately, is the secret to exceptional film - creating characters that the audience relate to, ones they can see themselves as, and truly care about their well-being.  Without that, we just don't care.  We're not invested in the story and don't hang on the outcome. 

Unfortunately, some people take this too far and begin to feel they know these people.  And most probably don't know if they are connecting to the characters or the actors.  The tabloids create a million-dollar industry!  All because we think we know these people, that we can share in their joys, empathize with their pain and - above all- laugh at them and their misfortunes.  Again, how sad. 

Now, I don't really care about "celebrity stories."  I think that everyone should have a personal life and they have a right to keep that private.  I was standing in line the other day when John Travolta and Kelly Preston were on the cover of a magazine with their new baby.  I glanced at it and moved on to the candy bars...  But the woman behind me started telling her friend a drawn-out story about how she thinks they used (gasp) a surrogate because no one really saw her pregnant!  Who the hell cares???  Isn't that their right?  It's not illegal, and she is 48 years old, why not?

It is truly frightening to me how quickly you could go from being a fan of a show, character, or celebrity, to being a stalker.  Especially if you happen to cross paths with one of these people and imagine you had a real-life connection.  I don't think I would want to be a celebrity if this is the kind of scrutiny and inspection I would receive.

Now, I'm not saying I don't have favorite actors that I feel a connection to, because I do.  You should have seen how happy and proud I was when Chris Colfer won his very first award for acting last week at the Golden Globes.  A virtual nobody who was being recognized for portraying a character.  I actually felt pride - like I had anything to do with it!  But I am aware that no one in Hollywood (or New York, or anywhere else for that matter) has any clue I even exist and if I walked up to them on the street I would be just another face.  In fact, I'm betting I wouldn't even like most of them once I got to know them.

I'm really not sure what my point is today.  I'm feeling very random and rambled.  I just wanted to spend a moment exploring the obsessive mind.  I hope this doesn't mean I will turn into a stalker and serial killer.  It's a fine line to walk, isn't it?