I must admit that when I saw your thread, I was stunned that anyone cried at this film, because I was never at any point during it on the verge of tears. To me, the film wasn't very impactful, but it was quite pleasant. However, once I read your post, I could totally feel where you were coming from! Very well-expressed, and I thank you for that, as it was a joy to read.
The topic of how and why people watch movies is quite interesting. Most seem to agree that movies serve as an escape from...whatever. But, personally speaking, I think there are at least three things avid movie fans like Farrow's character are looking for when they start watching a film:
1] To escape their life and jump into the life of another
2] To feel more---allowing the movie to help them to get in-touch with their emotions and imagination on a higher level than before
3] To feel less, meaning that some people choose what to watch, not to feel more, but to feel less. They consequently choose films that can take away their worries and make them forget.
I fall in-between the last two there---I am constantly devoid of the right feelings, so I always want to feel more---the right way. And yet, I always want to feel less of the wrong way. So, I watch movies as an escape---not from my life as much as from myself. Being more or less my own worst enemy, I like to basically make like I don't exist for the duration of the film, pretending that nothing exists and nothing matters except the film itself. And so, for a time, I sort of mesh with the film---the goal being that I don't know where the film ends and I begin.
It's very liberating to get to or near that point... to not have a personal care in the world... to be outside ones-self for a time... Ultimately, I think that's what movies are best at---at getting us to that point.
Please excuse typos/funny wording; I use speech-recognition that doesn't always recognize!
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