Slumdog Millionaire by Danny Boyle

Jim Brennan said:
Actually, it's the opposite. Our collective need for the dramatic storytelling experience stems directly from the needs of our psyche. Those are needs that we can repress at our peril, but they are in all of us. We relate to that which we experience, wish to experience or need to experience in some way. It is catharsis. While there can be some truth to the phrase "life imitates art" it is most often the case that art reflects life. We do not typically seek or foster conflict in our relationships because of a movie we saw, a book we read, or even the entire catalogue that has gone before us. That is implying that dramatic storytelling corrupts rather than enriches.

I am truly at a loss to explain it any further. From my point of view what you seem to be describing is a complete denial of negative emotions within a relationship. Which, in my limited opinion, appears to be not only impossible, but dangerous. Those things are there if you are a human being, and they will find a way out.

But I will say no more. I hope that you are right and I am completely wrong. I wish you exactly the bliss you seem to be describing. I truly do.
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Yeah, we should probably finish this up as we've gone way off topic, right?

I can't completely agree with you regarding life not imitating art. I'd wager that 90% of what you see teenagers do in their day-to-day stems directly from what they've seen in artificial representations of real life. I think in the beginning, yes, the dramatic arts were more of a reflection of the times, "Romeo and Juliet" a perfect example of two people in love I think we all can agree. But as a culture, we now have people watching other people's supposed "reality" and then going out and imitating it -- as animals we all have a wont to do.

I know we have to speak as artists and that we must defend our freedom to produce it, but it's no secret that for many, many people art has become life. Artists are now the parents of American culture. We may not carry the responsibilities, but artists influence -- it's what they're supposed to do. It's what made us, once upon a time, revolutionists.

Catharsis exists, it does -- but let's not pretend that it's not an archaic notion. And if anything offers catharsis in our time it's video games, not dramatic arts. The dramatic arts may lend some enlightenment, some entertainment, but I can't remember the last time I existed through a genuine experience during a film that moved me to a state of true catharsis. Catharsis was needed in a time when we couldn't parachute from airplanes or grab a shotgun and blow discs out of the sky or join the UFC and knock someone's brains out or grab a paintball gun and shoot our best friend in the nads.

But to the state of my relationship, I promise there is nothing pent up, repressed or conflicted. In my relationship I exist in absolute love. Only in these times could that notion seem so alien and absurd. I find nothing wrong with who she is, as each aspect of her creates the whole -- the entirety of she who I love forever. Love is a perfect entity, and even though we as people aren't perfect, we certainly should have enough knowledge and presence of self to not let the trite nothingness of daily existence interfere with such a perfect state of being, right?

It's all good!

;)

Some things are ALL GOOD.

:D
 
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