Ryan Lynch - The Transcendence of Film

             Why do we go to the movies?  Do we go simply to be entertained or is it something more.  Many people are influenced and educated by films, we look to movies as inspiration for things in our own lives.  The theater serves an escape from the stresses of daily life for people as well.  The opportunity to be entranced in a different world, safe from the struggles of reality.  The feeling we have after leaving a theater can effect us the rest of our day or even longer depending on the movie.  The experience of the movie theater transcends way past the confines of the building, it influences pop culture, social movements, and public opinion.  Even though Hollywood is an entertainment industry, the films the industry creates can have a much larger impact than that, and go much deeper than just pure entertainment. 

          One's local theater can end up representing something similar to church for some people.  A place were one can be safe from outside agents, and come away having maybe learned something profound or have had a previous belief reassured by your experience.  An experience you may have shared with many people, and you all may have learned a different lesson from the story.  Those two hours sitting in a dark room with everyone focusing on the same thing can be magical.  In the same way that one's experiences in church go far beyond that single service, it effects people's lives far past that.

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