07 June 2010

500 days of Summer



When I first saw the trailer a few months back, I dismissed it as yet another cheesy romantic movie. But on the long trek across the Pacific, even “yet another cheesy romantic movie” can slowly chip away the minutes till landing.

And how wrong I was about “500 Days of Summer”. It’s not your typical story about a boy who meets a girl, but a story about those little chance meetings and moments in life that could change things completely. It’s a little sweet story, with characters hat are opposites of one another, yet bound together by this strange, indescribable, unfathomable thing called… love (of the romantic kind).

There are those who believe in it, believe in its purest form, believe in the existence of “the one”. And there are those who, by reason of being witness, or even participant to, disappointments promise themselves that they will never be foolish enough to be blinded by this intoxicating and miserable feeling. Everyone has a different definition for love, but most people cannot even it into simple words… hence we rely on songs, movies and pre-written greeting cards to help us capture and convey love. The pessimist closes his eyes and ears to the sounds and sights of love that are all abound, while the optimist chooses to see little signs of the magical feeling, even when foreshadowed by the possibility of dashed hopes and expectations

I know not what love means, and less can I describe something that I have never truly felt towards anyone. And perhaps that’s why I identify with the protagonist (aside from the good looks, and melting smile of the boy in Third Rock from the Sun)… with his daydreaming, his longing, his deep depression after the heart-break, and with his ability to pick himself up again and to let (call it what you will…) fate, destiny, life take its course.

Perhaps one day I could know what love really means. And find it, feel it, be cushioned by it. And maybe even be hurt by it.


No comments: