Do movies have a positive or negative impact on us?

It really depends on the movie—and what kind of "aftereffect" we're talking about. For instance, after watching Titanic or The English Patient, I’d end up with this lingering sense of emotional salmonella...
then, say, after catching something like Message in a Bottle or anything involving Megrajan, I’d deal with a total hangover effect—complete with some pretty brutal vomiting...
as for those mental gymnastics provided by Van Damme or Lundgren? Well, I once nearly gave myself a stye in my left eye from laughing so hard...

I’ve always held the view that while films certainly have the power to impact an individual, the weight of that influence ultimately rests on the person watching rather than the movie itself.

Amélie really left a mark on me. It actually made me start thinking that I had the power to step in and change people's lives for the better. 😍 😬

Christian Taylor3 said:Well, now, what a topic we've stumbled into here. 😍

Do movies actually shape who we are, for better or worse? I can't help but wonder if we're all just a collection of cinematic tropes at this point. What’s your take on it?

It really depends on which one we're talking about, because I try my hardest to find at least one redeeming quality in every movie I watch. My grandfather, on the other hand, seems to have this uncanny ability to let every single film affect him negatively—and I mean absolutely every single one. It’s honestly impressive how he does it, especially since his whole thing is that he only ever wants to watch movies that are completely messed up. Being John MalkovichHe spent days on end rambling about him—honestly, he can't even remember the guy's name anymore, yet he still won't shut up about it. Groundhog DayHe’s actually convinced this is doable, and honestly, he had the nerve to tell my entire family that he went through something pretty much identical back when he was playing for the New York Knicks. 😵 Back at the start of January, he was watching... I was thinking about The Exorcist again, and honestly, it’s one of those films that stays stuck in your brain like a bad habit. There's just something about that specific kind of dread that most modern horror movies can't quite touch, no matter how many jump scares they throw at you. It’s slow, it’s heavy, and it feels genuinely unsettling in a way that makes you want to keep the lights on just a little bit longer than usual. (I really messed this one up again). Honestly, during the house blessing, I spent a solid hour just listening to the priest drone on and on; does he even realize how much he’s talking, or is he actually aware of it? I can't help but wonder if they know about this over at Vatican City, and why the Vatican and Boanic keep all this stuff from the rest of us. 🤦 He basically insisted that I drop everything to watch this movie and report back my thoughts ASAP. This is a transcript from our phone call about three months ago—he woke me up around two in the morning because he apparently couldn't sleep.

Good grief, someone please help me out here—there’s this one movie that I just cannot shake, and it’s stuck on loop in my head.
"Seriously, Grandpa—what if Ruzin is actually Rosemary's Baby?"
It's definitely not Rosemary's Baby; this one’s actually lost his mind.
Which one?
Imagine some little kids just wandering down the street when they suddenly stumble right into a monster—you know, like one of those rabbits with those massive, creepy teeth.
Donnie Darko!
Which Darko?

Well, he passed away today. 😢 Well, Dennis Hopper is gone, may he rest in peace. 🙏 He claims that Frank Booth reminds him irresistibly of his grandmother. Honestly, the movie didn't quite land for me either; it left a million damn questions hanging in the air. Like, what is actually going on with him? What kind of sickness is he suffering from—is he just suffocating for lack of fresh air? And she isn't exactly healthy herself, so why on earth is she clinging to such a twisted portrayal? Anyway, I ended up losing it laughing during that scene with the ear.

It’s a straightforward story, really.He’s still going on about Alvin Straight—and if it isn't him, it’s just some other guy he’s obsessed with. It’s like he's stuck in a loop. DarkoRegarding the whole saga with Straight, this guy is out here claiming that his late brother was actually Isidore—apparently, they were estranged for ages, and poor Ziggy ended up passing away just because this lunatic couldn't be bothered to see him. Now he’s going on and on about heading out to Alvin's grave to light a candle, and honestly, he’s been obsessing over this since March. You try explaining to him that Farnsworth is buried in the States, but it doesn't matter; he’s just busy picking out some identical lawnmower at Home Depot and preparing to head out on whatever wild journey he's dreaming up. He hasn't even clarified if he's just talking big or if he actually intends to roll up to that unfortunate cemetery in Lincoln, New Mexico, on a riding mower like Alvin Straight himself.

Therapists aren't doing much to help, and honestly, my family is just at their wits' end. Has anyone else dealt with something similar with their own relatives?

P.S. Sorry if that was a bit of a novel. 🙂

Your grandpa is the absolute GOAT. 👍

For me, cinema functions as a form of therapy—much like my own art, which truly serves as my primary outlet. It provides a genuine positive impact. Of course, there is a potential for a negative effect; watching a horror flick might leave one feeling uneasy walking home in the dark or trigger a few nightmares. Then there are those films that carry significant emotional weight. Even so, I would argue that even those experiences constitute a useful kind of therapy.

Christian Taylor3 said:Well, now, what a topic we've stumbled into here. 😍

Do movies actually shape who we are, for better or worse? I can't help but wonder if we're all just a collection of cinematic tropes at this point. What’s your take on it?

It really depends on which one we're talking about, because I try my hardest to find at least one redeeming quality in every movie I watch. My grandfather, on the other hand, seems to have this uncanny ability to let every single film affect him negatively—and I mean absolutely every single one. It’s honestly impressive how he does it, especially since his whole thing is that he only ever wants to watch movies that are completely messed up. Being John MalkovichHe spent days on end rambling about him—honestly, he can't even remember the guy's name anymore, yet he still won't shut up about it. Groundhog DayHe’s actually convinced this is doable, and honestly, he had the nerve to tell my entire family that he went through something pretty much identical back when he was playing for the New York Knicks. 😵 Back at the start of January, he was watching... I was thinking about The Exorcist again, and honestly, it’s one of those films that stays stuck in your brain like a bad habit. There's just something about that specific kind of dread that most modern horror movies can't quite touch, no matter how many jump scares they throw at you. It’s slow, it’s heavy, and it feels genuinely unsettling in a way that makes you want to keep the lights on just a little bit longer than usual. (I really messed this one up again). Honestly, during the house blessing, I spent a solid hour just listening to the priest drone on and on; does he even realize how much he’s talking, or is he actually aware of it? I can't help but wonder if they know about this over at Vatican City, and why the Vatican and Boanic keep all this stuff from the rest of us. 🤦 He basically insisted that I drop everything to watch this movie and report back my thoughts ASAP. This is a transcript from our phone call about three months ago—he woke me up around two in the morning because he apparently couldn't sleep.

Good grief, someone please help me out here—there’s this one movie that I just cannot shake, and it’s stuck on loop in my head.
"Seriously, Grandpa—what if Ruzin is actually Rosemary's Baby?"
It's definitely not Rosemary's Baby; this one’s actually lost his mind.
Which one?
Imagine some little kids just wandering down the street when they suddenly stumble right into a monster—you know, like one of those rabbits with those massive, creepy teeth.
Donnie Darko!
Which Darko?

Well, he passed away today. 😢 Well, Dennis Hopper is gone, may he rest in peace. 🙏 He claims that Frank Booth reminds him irresistibly of his grandmother. Honestly, the movie didn't quite land for me either; it left a million damn questions hanging in the air. Like, what is actually going on with him? What kind of sickness is he suffering from—is he just suffocating for lack of fresh air? And she isn't exactly healthy herself, so why on earth is she clinging to such a twisted portrayal? Anyway, I ended up losing it laughing during that scene with the ear.

It’s a straightforward story, really.He’s still going on about Alvin Straight—and if it isn't him, it’s just some other guy he’s obsessed with. It’s like he's stuck in a loop. DarkoRegarding the whole saga with Straight, this guy is out here claiming that his late brother was actually Isidore—apparently, they were estranged for ages, and poor Ziggy ended up passing away just because this lunatic couldn't be bothered to see him. Now he’s going on and on about heading out to Alvin's grave to light a candle, and honestly, he’s been obsessing over this since March. You try explaining to him that Farnsworth is buried in the States, but it doesn't matter; he’s just busy picking out some identical lawnmower at Home Depot and preparing to head out on whatever wild journey he's dreaming up. He hasn't even clarified if he's just talking big or if he actually intends to roll up to that unfortunate cemetery in Lincoln, New Mexico, on a riding mower like Alvin Straight himself.

Therapists aren't doing much to help, and honestly, my family is just at their wits' end. Has anyone else dealt with something similar with their own relatives?

P.S. Sorry if that was a bit of a novel. 🙂

If it weren't for you, The Family, and your grandfather, I would never laugh on this forum...🙏 Cheers to Grandpa 🙏 and to you for writing all of this out so beautifully.

On topic: unfortunately, movies don't affect me at all, or perhaps they do and I simply haven't realized it.

Naturally, I view it in a positive light. I have extracted significant value from cinema over the years. I make it a point to selectively absorb the constructive elements while remaining entirely insulated from the negative ones. It is highly improbable that after watching a film like SAW, I would suddenly find myself attempting to engineer a torture device; rather, I will instead retain specific insights that can be practically applied to my own life.

Hannah Green2 said:Naturally, I view it in a positive light. I have extracted significant value from cinema over the years. I make it a point to selectively absorb the constructive elements while remaining entirely insulated from the negative ones. It is highly improbable that after watching a film like SAW, I would suddenly find myself attempting to engineer a torture device; rather, I will instead retain specific insights that can be practically applied to my own life.

Great. Got any specific examples?