Citizen Kane is supposedly the greatest film ever made. More people are probably aware of this fact than have actually sat down to watch it. My dad is one of those people who likes to watch a good movie. Mention No Country for Old Men or The Straight Story and he’ll start chatting excitedly about why he loves those films. He decided to sit down and watch Citizen Kane and it didn’t really do anything for him. Some might say that my father is too dense and unsophisticated to appreciate Orson Welles’ masterpiece. Although there could be some truth to that, since there is a certain scientific approach to cinematography, editing, and acting that tend to make a good film, I don’t think that’s necessarily the case.

I think that the real reason my father couldn’t get into the whole experience has to do with the elusiveness of the things that emotionally move us as individuals. Films tell their stories viscerally. The camera allows us to see and hear what the characters see and hear. Good books can accomplish this as well, but the nature of a movie lends it a greater amount of momentum to the whole experience. You can put a book down, it’s harder to stop a movie because you get so caught up in the whole experience.

I believe that the films a person loves says more about who they are than what kind of taste in art they have. It allows us to relive the familiar in a slightly unfamiliar setting. It’s a way of saying I’m not alone in feeling the way I feel. That’s why we keep watching the same stories over and over again in slightly different packaging. When I sit down and watch a film, I usually come away from it discovering something about myself. A good film forces you to examine yourself and your perceptions of the world around you. We love movies that we see ourselves in. Popular films that stand the test of time are that way because they reveal basic common truths about all men. It’s a Wonderful Life has stood the test of time precisely for that reason. I absolutely adore that film and it’s not because it’s a case of cinematic genius. The film is flawed in many ways, but our family continues to watch it over and over again because we can all relate to it.

This isn’t always the case though. My mom recently had our whole family watch the movie Henry Poole is Here. She cannot stop raving about that movie. She loves that movie. I didn’t particularly find it as powerful an experience as she did. In fact I’d personally say that it strayed way too far in the corny zone for my tastes. However, I can understand why my mother loves the movie when I look at things she’s gone through in the past and how they relate to the movie. This means that the film provides a much more powerful experience for her than me and that’s OK.

Film criticism has gotten to the point where everything is being rated, as if there’s some way of scientifically determining if a film is good or not. This is a ludicrous idea. I don’t understand why everyone feels the need to have public opinion monopolized to a single general consensus when it comes to art and entertainment. Everyone liked the Dark Knight but you. So what? Film can be a living breathing thing when you allow it to. And when you do, it can be quite a rewarding experience.