It's a common experience: the lights dim, the screen flickers to life, and for the next couple of hours, we are transported. Movies possess a unique power to sway our moods, shape our perspectives, and even influence our decisions. We see ourselves in the characters, sharing their joys and heartaches, laughing and crying alongside them. Initially, we might focus on the acting or the unfolding plot, but soon, a deeper connection forms. We begin to identify with someone on screen, and our own emotions awaken, bracing for the unfolding drama. This connection deepens when the lines between the screen and our own world begin to blur, making it easier to step into a character's shoes, feel their triumphs and sorrows, and find our own emotions stirred in anticipation of what's to come.

The Lingering Echo of Film

When a film truly resonates, it’s because we’ve become emotionally invested, taking a character's side, championing their actions, and sharing their innermost feelings. This character can become a focal point for our own desires, hopes, and perhaps even intentions, prompting a sense of active involvement that feels very real. It’s not unheard of for someone to make a significant life decision inspired by the thoughts and emotions stirred by a film’s powerful imagery.

Every impactful movie leaves an aftertaste, an impression that can linger long after the credits roll. If a film is crafted with skill and heart, this feeling can stay with us for days. Sometimes, movies touch us so profoundly, in such a uniquely personal way, that we can't quite pinpoint what moved us or why. We are left with fragments of feelings and fleeting images that our conscious mind struggles to grasp. Yet, a part of us seeks to understand, to process these emotions so that our own actions can be purposeful and productive. We feel a need to recognize the source of this inner stirring and the direction it might be nudging us.

An Invitation to Explore Your Inner World

If this experience sounds familiar—if you’ve ever been left with a strong, perplexing feeling after a movie, a sensation that altered your mood for better or worse but whose origins remained elusive—here’s a gentle exercise to explore those depths.

Think of a film that left such an indelible mark on you, one that evoked intense, perhaps even unsettling, feelings that you carried for a long time. Take a moment to truly concentrate on that movie. Allow the experiences and feelings you had after watching it to resurface, to reinhabit your body. If you need to, pause and give yourself time for these sensations to return.

Meeting Your Emotional Messenger

Now, try to visualize these reawakened feelings in the form of an animal. What kind of animal comes to mind? Is it one that exists in nature, or is it a creature of your imagination? Is it large or small? Picture its details: its ears, nose, eyes. Observe what it does, how it behaves. This animal is a representation of those complex post-movie feelings.

With this animal in your mind, let’s return to the film.
Which characters does your animal seem most reactive to? For whom does it show the most interest? Who is the main figure for this animal, the one who truly captures its attention or elicits a response?
What does this character (or characters) do, or perhaps not do, that causes your animal to react? Why do they hold such significance for your animal?

Consider what your animal feels when it is near this character. What does it seem to need? What does it want or not want? Does it appear to need help? If so, what kind of support could you offer it? What do you feel compelled to do for this animal, this emotional messenger?

Connecting the Dots to Your Own Life

Now, reflect on how the animal's behavior or feelings might mirror something about you and your own life. What is the connection between you and this animal? How are you similar?
How do your life and personal experiences resonate with the character or characters your animal reacted to? In what ways does your life resemble the situations or emotions that drew your animal's attention?

Think about what you want and can do for yourself with this newfound awareness. What feels important to address or acknowledge in your life right now based on this insight? This exercise is about recognizing something deeper about yourself and exploring your own emotional landscape.

As a final step, based on the understanding you’ve gained, try to formulate a single sentence that encapsulates a message from your animal to you—the first thing that comes to mind. This is your animal’s wisdom, distilled into a personal piece of guidance.

Completing this reflection is a significant step in self-discovery. The feelings movies evoke are not just fleeting entertainment; they can be windows into our own hearts and minds, illuminating paths to greater self-awareness and purposeful action.

References

• Hesley, J. W., & Hesley, J. G. (2001). Rent two films and let's talk in the morning: Using popular movies in psychotherapy (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.

  This book explores how popular films can be used as tools in therapeutic settings. It highlights the way movie narratives, characters, and themes can help individuals access and discuss their own emotions, experiences, and conflicts, aligning with the article's exercise of using a film to uncover personal insights (e.g., Chapter 3 discusses identifying with characters, and Chapter 5 explores how films can evoke powerful emotions).

• Berg-Cross, L., Jennings, P., & Baruch, R. (1990). Cinematherapy: Theory and application. Psychotherapy in Private Practice, 8(1), 135-156.

  This paper delves into the theoretical underpinnings of using films in therapy, known as cinematherapy. It discusses how films can facilitate emotional release, insight, and problem-solving by allowing viewers to project their own issues onto characters and plots, providing a framework for understanding the deep impact films can have, as described in the article (e.g., the sections on "Identification" and "Catharsis" pp. 139-141 are particularly relevant to the article's discussion of emotional engagement and processing).