THB #603: The Film & That Moment

So I am in the AMC watching a media screening of We Live In Time, one of the very few men in the room, not really expecting all that much because of the soft reception the film got on the festival circuit.

Andrew Garfield is undeniable. Florence Pugh is too, though sometimes I forget just how much power she has in that round little face of hers.

The movie dances around in time quite a bit in the first 2 acts, to the point where I wasn’t sure if there was a gimmick involving multiple version of this couple’s lives. I wasn’t in love with all that… but I didn’t hate it. And then, in the 3rd act, the story really settles down and simply tells itself.

And as it comes to its heartbreaking climax - I’m trying hard not to spoil anything - I found myself stuck in my seat. I wiped away my tears… but more kept coming. After an hour with Florence and Andrew, I was deeply committed to these two people.

As the movie ended, those tears kept leaking out. They were tears for my family… tears for my friends… tears for myself. I was thankful for the lights not coming on immediately as I tried not to show myself and my emotions to those around me.

The threat of death is not one of those things that offers an objective set of responses. Everyone reacts differently. But we all can identify the struggle. What We Live In Time ends up getting so perfectly is the range of emotions, from those directly involved and those around them.

But what also struck me is that this is a feeling that is created by art. Moments so much deeper than you are expecting that they strike a chord deep, deep within. This is why there is nothing like watching something - live or on film - in a theater… with an audience.

I have had those moments repeatedly from both Andrew and Florence. But I forget the power they have and that it might not be instantly apparent in their films, but is unavoidable as they put themselves in that place every time… even in superhero movies.

I think of sitting in a screening room watching Nightbitch and having that moment when the light comedy becomes so much more as Amy Adams’ character finds clarity.

Watching 3.5 hours of The Brutalist and all of a sudden being glued to my seat watching Felicity Jones’ character confront the always-excellent Guy Pierce, whose arrogance and power melts before our eyes.

When Zoe Saldana breaks out in song and dance for the first time in Emilia Pérez and her movement reflects not the desire to entertain, but to bring her emotions in a dark situation to life.