I went to see the film “Song Sung Blue” in the theater, a rare occurrence nowadays. I was excited, because both the story seemed compelling and the actors and overall quality promised excellence. The beginning was so good, I was astonished. I was watching a well-dramatized genuine story of real people. Thrilling!
Then came a plot twist so unexpected, it completely broke my suspension of disbelief. I was totally unprepared for this event, and some of the following scenes seemed to intentionally reinforce the confusion. The movie never recovered for me after that. The characters turned two-dimensional and predictable. The story kept getting over-dramatized and clichéd. The film could have ended at least 15 minutes before the credits started rolling.
What happened? How could this wonderful beginning go so wrong? I’m glad I saw the film. I enjoyed it; still, I was disappointed.
That same evening I watched the documentary it was based on. I liked it so much better! I never felt confused or mislead. I got to know the characters well and developed compassion for them. I felt comfortable even in the difficult moments, rooting for them to succeed. All twists and turns in their fate were relatable and realistic. And at the end I felt satisfied despite the sad circumstances.
Somewhere in the translation of reality into drama something went wrong. The choices the creators made largely failed. Yes, failed – because if a film doesn’t satisfy the audience, it has not fulfilled its purpose, it has failed.
I see a crisis in our storytelling. It seems we don’t know what emotions satisfy us and how they are created in us, and we don’t know which events in our external reality form or contribute to the forming of these emotions. (I don’t even think we have an accurate definition of emotions, but that’s another topic I hope to get into at a later time.)
Art shows a selective reality meant to guide the participating audience in an experience that satisfies a need, just like a good meal satisfies hunger and gives energy to the body. I don’t remember the last time I saw a new film or read a contemporary fiction book that satisfied this emotional hunger I feel.
I would like to understand this process – what this need for a story is, where it originates, and how it is fulfilled. It is my hope that this understanding will help me, and hopefully others as well, engage with the arts, both as audience and as creator, in a satisfying and invigorating way.
Art and the Invisible 