I’m asking as I’m trying to understand empathy and whether it’s normal to get so invested in fake characters, I mean it’s probably a testament to the writers but I overthink… a lot.
This question was bright on as I’ve been catching up on The Blacklist and at lunch today watching Season 8 Episode name “Anne “ and it wrecked me.
Tap for spoiler
Basically the main character Red has to live a guarded life and for once he let it form and got close to Anne and you could tell shit was going to go downhill and it destroyed me when you think about it from his or her perspective.
For reference I’m 41 year old dude, not that it matters.
Edit: Bedtime for me but back tomorrow to reply to all.
Edit 2: I’ve got 41 comments to respond to. Currently working but I’ll be back y’all.
Aww man I’ve only seen one of these and I’m not even sure what 1 and 2 are from, but The Green Mile is another one I’ve sobbed my eyes out too.
We saying I need to watch The Lion King, Bambi?, and whatever the other two are.
I’ve been watching slot of movies recently as never really was a movie guy so I’ll add these to my perfectly legal media server.
The movie “Up” and “Harold and Maude”.
Damn, UP nearly killed me! I mean, he loses Elli (yes, i know that name and it made it hit doubly hard) AND the dog?
(Also, there seems to be an updog joke hidden somewhere in here, but I can’t seem to find it.)
Guess it is too hard to pick a single scene from “Grave of the Fireflies”? That movie is basically an emotional gut punch from start to finish.
Yep. I’m a reasonably masculine-presenting guy and most good movies or shows will make me tear up at some point, it’s a standard occurrence if the story has grabbed me in any satisfying way and brought me on the resulting emotional highs and/or lows.
We joke around about it in my household because my wife is a mostly femme-presenting woman, but she generally doesn’t tear up at films or shows while I’m next to her having what old stereotypes would say is the girly reaction. It’s not that she isn’t experiencing the story as fully or anything, she can be enjoying something just as much as I and the emotional reaction just affects us differently because (gasp!) we’re two different people.
Yes, of course it’s normal. It’s not necessarily the writing; sometimes it’s the music or cinematography that’ll get you. For me it’s often a strong vocal, as a minimum I’ll get goosebumps.
Me, alot actually. If your movie made me feel nothing it probably sucked. If it actually managed to make me cry it’s probably a pretty good movie.
Less often with movies/TV/books than music for me, but I’ll still tear up to a movie or show sometimes if I don’t feel like I’m being beat over the head by the music pushing a feeling than engaged with the story and characters.
I didn’t for most of my life. Just in the last year, there have been a few movies to just get my tears rolling.
The two recent ones that hit hard were Everything, Everywhere All At Once and of all things, 101 Dalmatians. Just something about the way they’re drawn and the amount of care in every scene made the dogs feel so much more real than modern animation and the sad scenes just cut through.
Few people have said this, I guess it makes sense that you can empathise more as you get older as you’ve experienced more, maybe I don’t know.
I really need to bump everything, everywhere, all at once up my to watch list as I never hear bad things.
Sadly 101 is another I’ve not seen. I’ll add it. Only started watching movies probably a couple of years ago do I’ve got lots of classics to catch up with.
Big Fish in particular got me because my dad is similar to the protagonist’s.
And books.
If the story and characters are well written and/or acted well enough to pull you in to the story you can certainly feel empathy and other feelings vicariously.
There is plenty of entertainment that does not pull the viewer/reader in, and you don’t particularly get “involved” with them.
I’d be curious what the line is for most people, what draws them in to a story emotionally to make that investment in a fictional character.
I cry so often when I watch movies. It sometimes feels pathetic 😅
The older I get, the more I don’t give a fuck and just let go. Interstellar - when Cooper is watching messages from his son… Gets me every damn time.
Me, and yes it’s normal to have an emotional reaction to media. You want a good cry? Watch Violet Evergarden. That shit’ll wreck you.
Yup, i do this too - my personal highlight was crying at … Wall-e, when he thinks that Eve died.
I’m over 40, and this started 10 or 15 years ago, when i started to go to therapy a lot more.
But i think it’s great to be able to live and feel with imaginary characters, and a sign of empathy.
I saw on video but I would have cried if I had seen Speed 2 at the cinema.
I’m a dude in his 40s. If anything, I’ve gotten more empathetic and easily moved over the years. I have cried at movies and over books.
Same. For the longest time I was made to believe that crying in front of people was weak. Especially, when those tears came from entertainment. Then I watched Schindler’s List and bawled like a fucking baby at the end when…
Tap for spoiler
Schindler starts pointing out all the possessions he still had, which he could have bartered to save more Jews and the overwhelming support from the ones he did save comforting him.
It fundamentally changed who I was and what I was willing to show emotion for, especially empathy. I found that any movie based on actual events, that ended tragically, would illicit a similar response.
It was only after years of therapy and the support of wonderful people in my life that I learned to feel that deeply for any media with resonating characters. Elon said empathy is a human weakness, but he’s never been so wrong. It’s the only thing that binds us together.
All the time. I mean, I got misty over Smoke’s death scene in Sinners lol
Wanna have sad happy tears? Videos of nervy squervy cats. Poor sweet things trying to live their best lives but have trouble moving! Omg 😭❤️😭
