The Things We Stop Noticing
Three films about routine, observation, and rediscovering meaning in ordinary life.
Getting lost in routine is one of the easiest things a person can do. I for one, love routine and become attached to it as much as the next person. However, there comes a point where routine becomes monotony and we forget to notice the small things that make life worth living. Additionally, we start to overlook what made that routine so meaningful. To observe what happens once the routine stops, and to rediscover meaning where we can’t always find it, is a gift that should be appreciated more than it is.
Man with a Movie Camera was shot nearly 100 years ago, but its significance remains. There is nothing spectacular about the people in this film nor its format. What makes it so special is the ordinary parts of life that are overlooked until a camera comes into play. What is captured in this film is so unique and teaches us we don’t always need words to explain what isn’t complicated.
Routine can become complicated when a passionate hobby is attached to it. I enjoy watching films and writing about it. Sometimes the hobby feels like a job, but I enjoy it so much to the point where it feels like the most fun position I never held. In Paterson, we see a man who is named after the town he lives in. Being a bus driver is his occupation and the main way he earns a living. On the side, he writes poetry which doesn’t need to rhyme. Poetry that doesn’t rhyme makes up for it in meaning. Even once his poetry is destroyed, he finds meaning in an unexpected place to start over.
Starting over becomes harder the older we get. Stubbornness, routine, and being so far removed from what a person once knew contributes to this. I haven’t seen The Lion King from start to finish in a very long time. Once I turned it on, I could remember every single line like when I was a child. I rewatched this in 4K and it was surprising to me how far not only myself but the film has come since I was watching it on VHS all those years ago. Returning to a part of ourselves we thought we left behind is not something everybody gets to do. Simba only did it because he had to. The lesson it teaches us is growing up is not always easy, but it is necessary. As I grow older, I don’t return to what I enjoyed as a child as much. When I do it is often nostalgic and fun which makes me all the more thankful that I have those memories to hold on to.
Being an adult brings on more responsibilities than some can handle. Relying on the observations we made in our past and learning from it is important. The routines we build from our previous mistakes, make our future endeavors more feasible. Rediscovering meaning where we haven’t found it in a long time is not always what we remembered it as, but it can be just as important no matter how long it’s been.
This week also marked 50 subscribers here, which honestly means a lot to me. I’m grateful to everybody taking the time to read these reflections each week.