“So what’s your favorite movie???”
I must be asked that question at least once a week and its answer is something that’s changed greatly for me over the years. I know the reason for that is solely due to one thing, my spirituality.
My spirituality today comes from so many things and movies happen to be one of them. For those that don’t know this about me, I’m an incredibly avid fan of watching them on both the big screen and the little one at home. I’ve been that way since I was quite young and it’s a given that I head to the theater these days at least once a week, sometimes even twice, to see one of the latest that’s opened. At home, I’ve also amassed a huge collection of them that’s now totaling over 700. So I’m guessing from that information alone, you can obviously see how much I really love movies.
As my spiritually has grown in recent years though, so has my tastes in the movies I go see at the theater or purchase for home. While I used to love the blood and guts of horror movies and the huge body counts in action films, I find them far less appealing today. My go to genre is a toss up now between science fiction and romance, but a close second is any type of drama flick in general. But looking back on the various phases of my life, I find it fascinating to see how much my answer to that original question I posed has changed.
In my grade school years, I probably would have said my favorite film was a James Bond one, most likely, A View To A Kill. By the time I got to college, I was a huge Arnold Schwarzenegger fan and when Terminator 2 got released in 1991, I thought it was the best movie ever. That changed after graduating when I saw a movie in 1996 that scared the bejesus out of me. Its title was Scream and it, along with its sequel in 1997 quickly became my new favorites. That all changed though when I saw The Matrix in 1999. Ironically, it was around the same time I saw this movie where I had begun a holistic healing path in life. It was then my spirituality really began to evolve and I felt The Matrix was truly all about that same thing. But as the new millennium came and went, so did what I called my favorite movie. Sometimes it was Harry Potter, other times it was The Fast And The Furious, and more than not it was something superhero related like X-Men. While I still had a broad range of movies I saw and bought, the common theme I liked most throughout them all was always the good versus evil concept.
Looking at the whole collection of movies I own, I can see how the majority of them deal with this. As my spirituality has progressed, I’ve come to believe that life is all about good versus evil, or if you prefer, light versus dark. There are many things in this world that are filled with great light. But sadly, there are just as many things in this world that are filled with darkness too. Living as an addict was just one example of when I was actually living in the dark.
I don’t like watching movies anymore that are filled with that darkness unless the light wins out in the end. So maybe that’s why my favorite movie today is really not about this type of battle at all, it’s about the one thing we’re all meant to share with each other unconditionally in this world, and that’s love. While it initially wasn’t at the top of my list for many years, I find myself watching this movie over and over again, year after year. It’s title? Serendipity. And it’s all about finding true unconditional love by chance and how that type of love when found is priceless.
So yes, my favorite movie today is a chick flick, go figure, but I’ll continue to treasure it anyways. While I’m sure there will be plenty of other movies along the way that I’ll enjoy just as much, I know at least with this one that my heart always moves immensely when I watch it time and time again. And that alone is the sole thing I seek on my spiritual journey today, with that being to remain in my heart.
I truly hope you enjoyed learning a little more about my love of movies and what my favorite one currently is. I decided it was best to end this article in the same way I began it, but hoping now that each of you will take the time to respond with an answer of your own.
“So what’s your favorite movie???”
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson