Recently I was posed the question: "What's the first movie that opened up your mind to what a film could do?" The first film that popped into my mind was, of course a favorite of mine, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I'm normally not one to deconstruct films. I'd rather just enjoy the thing as a whole. If I'm watching something like, say The Prestige, I'll notice overt loopholes, but I'm not painstakingly looking for plot flaws. It was hard for me to think of a film in such specific terms.
Eternal Sunshine is mind-boggling, yes. But surely, I thought, there must have been a movie that moved me before that.
After thinking about it for a while I decided upon Edward Scissorhands. Why?
A. Theme of Two Worlds Merging Together
B. The Sympathy Felt for Edward
The family in this movie lives in suburbia "heaven," if you can call it that. The houses are painted robin's egg blue, canary yellow, you know--all those bird colors. The lawns are mowed daily, the floors vacuumed daily, and the children fed daily. (Let's hope the last happens in most suburban homes.)
Edward lives in a dark, seemingly abandoned mansion on the outskirts of town.
The film merges these two polar opposites quite nicely, or for as long as it could allow.
Google a picture of Edward Scissorhands. Aside from the puppy-dog look on his face, he's a generally frightening guy, yes? Yet I fell in love with him. His sense of right and wrong are skewed, but his heart is in the right place. Find a wallet? Use the money to buy gifts for your friends and family. A touching idea. Edward longs so desperately to belong to this suburban community. He loves giving all the women haircuts, helping all the men trim their hedges. Who couldn't love this charming man? And the fact that his backstory is so tragic just makes him even more lovable.
I guess seeing this at such a young age made an impact on me because it made me realize everyone is less alone than they feel. So often people feel alienated and alone when they're truly not.
It's one thing to read about a character like Edward in a book. To see him, to observe him in our own world through film, is more stirring.
Are there certain movies for anyone out there that changed your perception of what film could do?
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