by Chameiry Marmolejo, high school senior, New York City
During the coronavirus pandemic, I found myself craving a change of scenery. I relied on movies and shows to entertain me and help me feel less lonely — but this was not when my obsession began. My entire childhood was consumed by Hannah Montana, “High School Musical,” and other forms of entertainment that influenced my expectations of the world.
During the coronavirus pandemic, I found myself craving a change of scenery. I relied on movies and shows to entertain me and help me feel less lonely — but this was not when my obsession began.
Watching the Harry Potter series for the first time transported me to a previously nonexistent world. The music and ambiance alone had me waving an imaginary wand in the air and checking the mail for my Hogwarts acceptance letter. Films like ”Pride and Prejudice,” “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Little Women” are works of art that I never imagined would come to comfort me more than my own family sometimes could. Nevertheless, it is films like these that have helped me forget about all my worries.
I would be lying if I said that much of my personality isn’t influenced by the lessons I learn through the reality of an unattainable cinematic universe — lessons such as learning that love can travel through time and to never judge a book by its cover, or that you might miss the prince hiding behind the beast.
I would be lying if I said that much of my personality isn’t influenced by the lessons I learn through the reality of an unattainable cinematic universe...
I've learned from “Anna Karenina” what digging your own grave looks like, and how you could end up meeting the “right person, wrong time” from “La La Land.” There are a lot of moments when I am humbled by the message of a 2000s rom-com about an unhealthy work-life balance that cannot maintain a stable relationship. And also moments when I realize Jack gave his life to Rose and the Avengers lost the battle, and things don't always work out the way we want. The truth is my life isn’t always what I dreamt it to be, but movies allow me to live vicariously through a fictional character but also teach me things about my own life.
Related: Read Marmolejo's Student Voice piece on the psychological effects of quarantine
But movies aren’t all escapism. There are also films that force you to face reality. Films like “Don’t Look Up” humorize society's reaction to the climate change crisis and make me feel more a part of reality than ever before. Films that discuss racial inequality, political corruption, social injustice, toxic masculinity, death, homelessness and poverty force us to confront the issues that affect everyone.
Related: Lesson plan: For Earth Day, examine real 'Don't Look Up' moments through history and today
Movies are an integral part of us; they mirror what we believe and how we coexist as people. It is easier to see our concerns, attitudes, flaws and strengths in films than it is to decipher them from our daily interactions, and I appreciate that because it is important to have something as equally grounding as escapist.
While COVID restrictions may be lifted, my need to escape this overwhelmingly retrogressive society can sometimes still feel at an all-time high. But just like with lifting of COVID restrictions, there comes a time when I need to come back to Earth and accept that my life is only the movie I make out of it.
Chameiry Marmolejo is a senior at the High School for Environmental Studies in New York City. She enjoys media studies and aspires to uplift voices that are overlooked in pop culture today.
