In science prison for decades, I have not spent much time watching films. This is a chance to catch up a bit, and learn from participants about things that make films memorable.
I may try to map to films a dozen characteristics of art, as outlined in The Art Instinct (2009) by Denis Dutton.
Note: Please consider things in “quotes” as placeholders for families of terms. You may prefer another member of the family than my choice.
I tend to “pull” books and films that I perceive with potential to “enrich” my “insights” for my set of the “big questions” of our lives, and in our context, relevance to my “faith journey.” I shy from dedicating my precious leisure time to books and media that are “pushed” into my awareness, appealing to an entertainment value, or popularity framings such as Oscar winners or NYT best sellers. Well, of course, some things pushed may be those I would pull in any case. Despite this seemingly pedantic stance, I am capable of simply enjoying a film, such as one enjoys a good meal, even including mood boosting romcoms. But in this context, rather than passive “watching” and “listening to,” I am eager to See images/scenes and Hear dialogues which can be anchored to my established views, or even better, which will surprise with novel and lasting insights. Whew! I hear you — over the top stodgy bla-bla. Yes, but we do not intend to exclude entertainment —
— see, for example, the hilarious Io c’è.
Nor exclude the varieties of the transporting, unexpected, experiences while seeing:
“…. movies are enriching, nourishing, rejuvenating, beautiful, weird, funny, exhilarating, terrifying, discombobulating, and any other adjective you care to throw at them.”
(quote from https://www.slashfilm.com/864684/best-movies-of-2022)
While thoroughly embracing these experiences, we simply aim to focus our sight through a lens from the pew.