I would not say I am a person that has very specific genre preferences when it comes to the types of films I am capable of enjoying. I find I am capable of watching pretty much anything providing I am in fact in the right mood for it, regardless of the style or the narrative. Some of my favourite films range from ones in which are purely experimental and void of both characters and dialogue, to very simplistic films ripe in characters and dialogue. Some contain very creative methods of filmmaking, where perhaps the cinematography may attempt to push the boundaries of the budget and creative potential of those involved, others come and go with having told a story and moved on.
So where am I going with this? Well, the more I watch films, the more I notice how few really stand out to me in a way that makes me really feel something. And ultimately, the films I watch that do make me truly feel something I find are the ones I really enjoy the most. The ones that linger on within my mind for days, where I may go back and take screenshots, or look up the score on the Internet just to listen to particular pieces of music to relive those moments. Lines of dialogue may linger on in my mind for days, and my want to discuss the film with someone may increase to the point where I inevitably watch it again.
While I certainly do love many different genres -- I mean, one of my favourite shows is Trailer Park Boys -- I find that I have a strong connection to films that focus on aspects of drama. Though ones in relation to romance have very little impact or appeal to me. For the most part, I have noticed recently that the films that really do cause me to feel something strong and perhaps even inspire me are the films that are focusing on something we can all find rather personal: aspects of humanity.
Humanity in film
I realise that saying humanity is a rather vague statement to make. After all, every film will feature aspects of humanity to some degree. Even the films that seem utterly soulless or perhaps franchised to a point where their only purpose is to milk the fans of their cash every year. What I mean by aspects of humanity, is films that particularly focus on connections. What it means to connect with each other, and how a space may interact with the people within and contribute to those connections. Looking back, the films I have loved the most have been films that have made me reflect on my own existence and learn something new about the world and myself. The films that, for example, may reflect on past and present, and how the two work together to result in the ways we live going forward. The methods of thinking we shape and form ourselves around as a result of experiences and locations.
I recently rewatched the film Prince Avalanche which led to me having this epiphany that there's a very specific type of film that I love, but actually struggle often to find. The film itself focuses on two men of total opposites working together painting roads. That's really it. Not much really happens other than the two agreeing and disagreeing on things together, but their characters and clashing grow and connect over time.
I remember watching Chungking Express for the first time and being overwhelmed with how beautiful of a film it was, having never really seen a film handle the concepts of love and friendship, but also loss in a space that is incredibly dense, where people often overlap. It led to my realisation that even in the places of such large density in population, there's thousands of stories taking place at any given time, and we are all oblivious to them. And that even in tight alleyways, small apartment buildings filled with hundreds of people; streets where thousands come and go throughout the hours, even loneliness can be present there. Would I classify the film as one of the romance genre? Perhaps to some degree it does fit.
There was a film from mainland China known as Long Day's Journey into Night. This film was a strange one. Atmospheric, confusing in parts, but slowly it created a narrative that was dreamlike as our protagonist lurked from one location to another, remembering snippets of his past. The locations contain decay, much like his memory and regrets as they've piled.
Each of these films, while just a very small number of the ones that have left an impact on me, have done so because they display themes that have allowed me to go away from them and think about my own life. Where I want to be, how the spaces around me have influenced my life whether I liked it or not, or was even aware of beforehand. I can safely say that watching those films led to changes in my own life as a result. And I love that. There's development through the consumption of these creations, rather than merely being entertainment. But don't get me wrong: I still love the creations that are merely entertainment.
I think much of my appreciation for such films stems from my own incredibly active mind, where I am forever in thought regarding something. My mind roams to and from scenarios and concepts until it feels it has come to some conclusion. Some aspect of content. I also think it's reasonable to assume that everyone has their own preferences in which genre(s) they like the most, and I'd be curious to see why that is. Perhaps people have a reason for enjoying horror films that they didn't quite notice before. Perhaps someone's passion for romcoms is a result of their own ambitions and expectations in life. And perhaps we sometimes rely on nothing more than comedies because we often forget to laugh in moments outside of media consumption.
A lack of humanity elsewhere
Perhaps I am pulled in by films that display aspects of humanity because reality seems to be void of it for the most part. It seems like a rare event in which we hear of the positive, or of the deep connections we all have as a society, or community. We live our lives alone in our own little bubbles as we ignore all else, thinking we are the protagonists of our own stories, ignoring the fact that we're just one of many little theatre performances taking place all at the same time.
I like the films that remove me from that, the ones that make me wake up a bit and remember what is and what is not important, and ultimately making me not just a happier person, but a better one as a result. And each of these screenshots featured in this post were taken by me, in films where I have felt something from. Perhaps that alone is something to consider writing about another time, in more depth.