TV/Movies as an Escape - By Amanda Mendenhall

TV/Movies as an Escape

By Amanda Mendenhall

It’s always a good idea to have at least one thing in your life that can help you with or distract you from your problems. For me, the greatest distractions are TV shows and movies. I get lost in the shows, and for an hour or two I forget my worries and simply enjoy what’s going on in front of me. I’m in a ton of fandoms, and don’t get me wrong, sometimes they ruin your life, but it’s always fun to feel as if you’re right there with them. When a character dies, we cry as if they were our best friend. When a new character arises, we survey them with distrust and wonder, but we ultimately grow to love them. However, if you’re like me and watch Supernatural you can usually count on the recently deceased character coming back within a few episodes.

I am a very subdued person. I’m quiet, reserved, and don’t have many friends. TV shows and movies are quite honestly the only friends I need. The good thing about characters from these shows is that I can relate to them a lot. Personally, I tend to relate better to fictional characters than to real life people. Fictional characters are always accepting. They never judge and literally can’t get into fights with you. I’m not a very openly emotional person, but when I’m watching shows or movies that really hit me in stomach, I’m not afraid to cry. I can’t count how many times I have cried because of a character’s death, only to find out how much I truly cared about them.

My all-time favorite movie would have to be The Perks Of Being A Wallflower for so many reasons. Stephen Chbosky depicts mental illness in the most realistic performance I’ve ever seen in a movie. The story is full of ups and downs, love, depression, friendship, and even minor drug use. I am filled with emotion every time I watch the movie, and it never fails to make me cry. I think it makes me so emotional because I can relate in many ways to what’s going on with the characters. I’m not going to reveal any spoilers, but I would highly recommend watching this movie.

I’ve recently begun watching Breaking Bad and I know it’s a controversial show, but it gives me all types of feels. I have cried, laughed, felt extreme panic, and lots of relief. I have clutched at my face for so long and hard that I’ve left fingernail marks etched across my face. I’ve curled up in a ball hugging my knees in despair, stuffed popcorn in my mouth in fear, and wept along with the characters. I am very into TV shows and movies because it’s a nice escape from every crappy thing that I’m going through. I love escaping for a few hours, and I sometimes go to the extreme and watch four seasons of a show in two days, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.