My wife and have taken a couple days to get away before our baby comes and eliminates the chance to get away just the two of us for awhile. Not much compares with getting some time away with my wife – mostly to rest and talk about things we don’t get a chance to connect about.
One of the things we did was see a movie (another rarity), but I’ve had a strange pull to see the movie, It’s Kind of a Funny Story. I don’t know if you feel this, but there occasionally is a movie that from watching a trailer or commercial I just feel pulled to it and feel a need to go see it. I’m not talking about the blockbuster stuff, but the more artsy type of movies. This was one such movie for me and it had been a couple of years since I had felt a similar pull to a movie.
The movie is about the general topic of mental health and specifically, it engages the issues of teen depression. The short of it is – I loved it. My wife was distracted a bit because the chairs weren’t designed for pregnant women and she was struggling a bit, but we both liked it.
As a recovering perfectionist and as one who has taken a couple of dips in the pool of depression, I resonated a lot with some of the themes in the movie, but just in general loved the message of the movie and the journey some of the characters took towards human connection and greater emotional health. As I think about my Stanford ministry days (and even my UCLA undergrad days) a movie like this should be required viewing for students. I at least would use this with any Ivy League type of student culture to facilitate interaction.
The movie is about listening to people as well as identifying what makes them special and unique – in short, what makes them matter. It’s also about choosing authenticity and connection over performance and control.
I loved the movie, partially because I resonated so much with the story. That’s probably why I felt like I had to see it from the first time I saw the trailer. I’ve routinely felt out of place throughout my life because what I’ve found meaningful in life usually has not been found meaningful to those around me – including in my teen years. I loved the picture of a community full of those people who through community learned how to be their true selves with one another.
Sounds like my kind of movie, although we'll have to wait to rent it. Thanks for the rec!