Going to the movies alone

Have you ever gone to the movies alone?

I have and it is kind of liberating. No more waiting for a time and a date that suits someone else. Want to see a movie? Just go!

Jeff and I have been trying to make it out to see Blue Jasmine for a week, but the stars have yet to align and I am about ready to go it alone.

My dad used to go to movies by himself when I was growing up. My mum won’t watch anything scarier than Law & Order, which meant a lot of the movies he wanted to see didn’t meet her criteria. I always thought it was pretty cool of him.

I remember the first time I went to see a movie by myself. I had just broken up with a boyfriend and it was the kind of break-up where you lie in bed for days (oh the luxuries of post-secondary education) and lose 5lbs because all you can stomach are Swedish berries. I remember looking in the mirror with puffy eyes and saying to myself, you’ve gotta get a grip girl. And so I went to the movies alone, at the Oxford, and it was wonderful.

I should admit that not all of my solo movie going adventures have gone so smoothly. I remember one year during the Halifax Film Festival I decided at the last minute to catch a movie. I’m not exactly a movie-aficionado and I didn’t recognize any of the films being featured that night. I told the woman at the booth that I’d see whatever she recommended. I have to admit I was feeling a little smug. Single women sees independent film and then maybe grabs a glass of wine alone. What a grown-up. What a cultured grown-up.

Anyway, I got my ticket and headed to the concession stand and bought a large bag of skittles (and thus my dream of sophistication ended). When I sat down in the theatre I noticed there were a lot of men, many single men. Hmmm. Weird, I thought as I stuffed my face with candy. I had a few minutes before the show started to look at the film festival brochure I had brought with me. Guess what? The film that I was about the see was part of the erotica series. Yup, you read that right. I was chowing down on a bag of skittles during the screening of an erotic movie. I couldn’t even leave because the director was in the theater. The movie was actually pretty good, not a lot more risque than what you see on HBO. Nonetheless, I’ll definitely pay closer attention to the movie summaries if I ever brave the film festival again!

xo

Em

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