6.

So what even are movies? I ask myself this question because I watched Heathers yesterday, and it's the most profoundly confusing movie experience I've had in a long time. So that made me wonder what movies are in the first place. Technically, they're a series of still images projected in sequence, giving the illusion of a smooth 'video', combined with sound. But what do they do? I feel like it's not a stretch to say that movies are always about the human experience. Since they're all made by humans, I think that it's reasonable to say this. It's also not really possible to make a movie that's not connected with reality, I think. On the other hand, even a documentary is not objective, since there's always the choice of how to frame something, what to show and what to cut, etc. In that sense, every movie from documentary to fiction is somewhere on the spectrum between reality and... fiction. That's a clumsy sentence, but I think it's clear enough. They're never quite real, but also never disconnected from reality. In other words: they're an interpretation of reality. I'm pretty happy with that definition. That doesn't help me with Heathers though, that's still a confusing clusterfuck.

On that topic (but actually on a completely different topic), I would like to remind everyone who's reading this that this is not supposed to be good. So when you're disappointed, that means that there's a problem with your expectations, not with my writing. Lower your expectations, and everything will improve. That is a questionable way to enjoy life, however. Or at least, that's how it sounds to me. It's like a cheat, a way to 'improve' your life without any effort. It reminds me of governments who, instead of doing something about a problem, just loosen up the quotas related to the problem. On the other hand, having too high expectations is ruinous (is that a word?) for your happiness, so in that sense it's crucial to do at least some kind of expectation management. I'm just not sure whether lowering expectations in general is a good way to become happy. I'm more convinced about the idea of disconnecting from the struggle for happiness (or pleasure) to begin with. The idea that wanting pleasure is actually suffering, and accepting suffering is a form of happiness. Although, 'accepting' is the wrong word. Rather, I think that you can observe and acknowledge suffering or sadness without really suffering yourself. The suffering you feel is not the suffering you are, something like that.

Wise words to end this entry with, I guess.