What Dreams May Come

Let's get serious.

An open coming out party.

And no, I'm not gay. Fuck off.

I am about to watch What Dreams May Come for the third time now. The last time I saw this movie was nearly two and a half years ago, and for good reason. It strikes a deep chord with me every time. It has powerfully tragic scenes that people, like me, can connect to. My love for drama and dark humor spawns from the past five years where I have dealt with excessive and traumatic losses in my family. This shit hits home for me. If you haven't seen this movie, the whole family is dead about halfway through. Cheery, right?

But this movie is probably the one that moves me the most. Last time I watched it was for my last paper in high school where I detailed its connection to my life. And I vividly remember having some breakdowns weeks after. Maybe it was gradation, maybe it was dating someone I could talk to again. Either way, the catalyst was this movie.

The sudden loss of family. The feeling of being alone. The tragedy of suicide. The complexity of life. All of this the movie explores; all I have experienced. I figure I have a month left being in the States and I ought to get my emotions out now so I don't do it with Guinness in Ireland.

I guess I will push play now. At 10:45 at night. Paper to finish in the morning. Spanish at 9:00. Good idea.

*Crack*
That was me opening a Bud Light.

And this is me finishing the post after watching it.

I could better understand the movie this time around (in its writing, symbolism, writing, etc). It had some elements that were very positive in order to balance the darker parts. These good natured parts I forgot about since the last time I watched it.

It was good. The experience wasn't as emotional as I thought it would be. Still, Annabella Sciorra does a fantastic job portraying a confused and devastated mother and wife. The love that her husband (Robin Williams) shows for her is translated through happy conversation as well as extreme sadness, especially in the scene when he finds out his wife killed herself. That is the hardest realization for someone. Not that the person is gone, but that the person was suffering so greatly that they would end their own life.

The tragedy and sadness displayed in What Dreams May Come is what makes a movie great for me. They hit on emotions that are deep for many people. Therefore they are done in a good way. In the Bedroom is another movie that uses tragedy as the steering point. Quickly: Kid falls for recently divorced mother, the two date, the ex gets jealous, the kid is about to go off to a special college, breaks off relationship, women's ex gets physical, kid goes to house to protect her...kid gets shot in the head. Cheery, right? Then the movie deals with the devastated parents.

Another example is World's Greatest Dad, a dark comedy featuring Robin Williams as a writer. His jerk son is a pervert and a complete fucking jackass that everyone hates. The kid also likes to choke himself while he masturbates. Well one day the father comes home to find his son dead. He accidentally choked himself to death while whacking it (tragic, but hilarious!). Then the Dad writes a story (from the kid's point of view) making him look like the unlikely everyman/child that is just misunderstood. Classic.

Magnolia, Crash, The Butterfly Effect, Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, The Air I Breathe, The Upside of Anger, and American Beauty are all movies that make you think about what happened and what can happen. And what HAS happened in my life allows me to connect deeply with what IS happening with the characters, further bringing to life a dramatic story.

Feels good to get that off my chest.