Why we love Film

Life without art is meaningless, and art without life is empty. Someone, much wiser than me, once said words to that effect, and whilst I cannot remember who made the eloquent statement, it nonetheless perpetually loiters amid my mind when observing the beauty in the world. 

Film is but one of the many composites of ‘art’, its form unique, and much like a brush stroke on canvas, each movement has its own distinctive flair. A quarter of the way through my life (fingers crossed), and perhaps with a degree of youthful ignorance, I am so far under the impression that those who I have both met and conversed with, all share one thing in common on the topic of film – they all, to some degree or another, have a special place for a film, be it in the form of a memory or an emotion.

Whether it’s the seasonal re-watch of ‘Love Actually’, a sentimental journey back to an emotive viewing with tissues in hand, or a simple pleasure-seeking action flick, we all, in some way or another, have a special place for film, at one time or another.  

Ever since films birth in 1988, crowds have coalesced to marvel at the spectacle of a motion picture, with ‘Cinema Paradiso’ best encapsulating this notion of community. People from all walks of life, rich and poor, blind and deaf, religious and secular, can find a common sense of understanding – a connection, over a shared sensation: meaning.

People often arrive at the cliché conclusion that we watch films because they offer an escape from our dire reality. This may be true, on the surface, but I believe the real reason runs far deeper. In a world, now more than ever, where western society has achieved such grandeur that it has become lost with itself. It’s no surprise that studies continue to poor out describing a deterioration in our psyche, whether its attention span, our ability to be satisfied or mental health, the physical world sadly seems to be on the down.

Film seems to me to be the last bastion against this downturn. Sure, insipid remakes and unimaginative ventures are bank rolled by Hollywood, but the remanence of hope lies within those gems that are found few and far between. We know the feeling of stumbling across an unfamiliar title, coming away with a sense of fulfilment and pride, the search for gold amongst the rocks is sustaining, it’ meaningful. I hope more people can experience what it’s like to share a passion for something with somebody, whether it’s over neo-noir film or what the hell Christopher Nolan’s films are actually about.

The emotional journey that film can take us on, leaving us in a puddle of our own tears or in fits of laughter – it’s the ability to feel something that matters. It’s this feeling that gives meaning. It’s this feeling that sustains, and it is this sensation that is quite simply, why I love film.