Escapist Cinema

And the psychological trap it creates!

I used to play roleplay games like Dungeons and Dragons, mainly because they were ‘fun’. But in retrospect, those games provided an escape to become heroes in a fictional environment where I can experiment with different actions outside of our real life and see what I can get away with.

The monotony of reality creates a need to escape. Going out for drinks, watching a movie, camping, vacations, gossip, etc. - all of these things are necessary to release the frustration of our mundane life.

But excess of anything can be harmful — be it coffee, alcohol, or even thinking. And that goes for escapism as well.

In theory, escapism is a mental diversion from unpleasant or boring aspects of daily life, typically through activities involving imagination or entertainment. But on a deeper level, escapism is usually used to occupy oneself away from persistent feelings of depression or general sadness.

Don’t get me wrong. I have a lot of respect for spectator sports, violent video games, masturbation, gangster movies, profane stand up routines, and different forms of venting (about our anxieties through fantasies of invincibility). But having a wholesome view across the spectrum is necessary to have a logical and rational perspective about life — the capability of differentiating between reality and fantasy.

Yet, no other form of escapism has caused more damage than the consumption of escapist cinema, specifically because of the fact that it is available in immeasurable abundance. By escapist movies I mean cheesy, mass-produced films that go beyond the confinements of reality, creating a world of fiction that often tends to be meaningless. These are all means of numbing ourselves from the pain and brokenness of the real world.

I have always perceived movies as a means of telling stories and partly for entertainment, as well. Being born in a third world country, like India, movies allowed me to learn about different cultures, ethnicities, world history, social issues, and whatnot. But I gained all this not by merely watching, but being obsessed by realist cinema.

But I am aware about the fact that, the majority don’t approach movies like that.

People like their protagonists to save the world or “scoring” the girl at the end of the day. They like their characters in a lifestyle that they can’t adapt themselves. They want happy endings and over the top action sequence which supplies the adrenaline rush. And before they know it, they are addicted to these happy endings, like a junkie.

[Some movies does offers a balance of fantasy and insightful perception. But my grudge is mostly with the movies, rather filmmakers who approach movies with a commercial perspective. No doubt there is a fair trade of “paying for a service” (specifically — movie entertainment). Another paradox in case is the demand and supply loop. After each successful trade, audience have backed their decision of staying in comfort zone, instead of an opportunity to reflect. And cinema loses with every successful trade.

Gustave Courbet, a painter in the nineteenth century, developed a new form of painting where he focussed on the concerns of the present rather than reproducing historic or mythological scenes. His paintings depict humans at work instead of a neoclassical form of idealization of the human body.

Initially, realist films were often described as features opposite the dominant commercial cinema. Realism in films is often placed somewhere between the confines of classical cinema and the innovation of the avant-garde. It’s like what Cesare Zavattini — screenwriter of revolutionary film Bicycle Thieves, said:

“While we are interested in the reality around us … the reality in American films is unnaturally filtered.”

They don’t wanna see the pain or social issues which don’t affect them directly. Yet that’s what realistic cinema does. Realism brings to the screen individuals and instances often marginalized by mainstream cinema and even society.

This is what we call the “social extension” of realism, its intention of representing not just people of ranks but also the spectators’ as “equals”. Realism voices the visibly unseen groups and makes audible unheard voices. In this sense, realism has been considered a fundamentally political art form.

Realistic Movies keeps us Closer to Reality

I had a friend who had all the usual expectations of “honesty, caring, and responsible” from her future partner. She even found a guy who liked her and she liked him too. Only the guy, instead of arranging a candlelight dinner on a beach and going on knees for a dreamy proposal, casually told her about his feelings and asked her feelings while having dinner in her house. She said yes, though she felt disappointed.

Cheesy Rom-coms alleviate our expectations from relationships, often deviating from the real issues if they are compatible with each other if they are ready to spend their life together. Expecting some efforts from your man is not wrong, but that shouldn’t influence your decision.

One of the things about realistic movies is the fact that they keep you closer to reality. A controlled amount of escapism is fine and even comforting. But only until it becomes a psychological trap. Watching only escapist movies help us acknowledge, and even embrace reality.

Realistic Movies help us get a perception

Realistic cinema caters to the hardships of day-to-day life, coupled with minimalist things of life. Realist movies, when done right, explore the dark realities of our society or give us insight into a person’s perspective. Which is lost in escapist cinema, in an attempt to idealize the protagonist. Realistic cinema, for me, was equivalent to the profound stories I found in Novels.

Realistic movies filled the void created by breaking the habit of reading (because life offered less time).

Beyond that, realism in cinema helps us gain perspective. Perspective in turn helps us understand and respond to things better. For example, comedy sitcom The Office, which explores a weird array of realism, provides an analytical case study of understanding the behavior of our colleagues and our boss in the workplace. (I know you visualized Ben Stiller’s office, though I was referring to Ricky Gervais, a masterpiece. But you got the gist.)

Realistic movies often find themselves at the intersection of unfiltered reality and social issues around us. And that can be boring sometimes but is painful for sure (for the most part). Yet they offer an understanding of the human psyche and make us considerate, which is in turn important for creating a humble society.

Escapist movies normalize stereotypes

The female protagonists in escapist movies almost always end up turning down career opportunities to positively embrace more traditional gender roles at home. Young women who are raised to be ambitious begin to bristle at that plot point after seeing it repeated in multiple movies.

These escapist movies are often known for normalizing stereotypes. This is a critique often raised for cheesy Christmas movies. Even worse than this, girls are portrayed opting for love at the expense of probable career opportunities.

Escapism is like obesity. You know eating more is bad, yet you still do it for the sake of momentary satisfaction.

We don’t even realize how unknowingly movies shape our characters and get rooted in our personality. We don’t adapt the heist a character pulls, but how he treats the waiter. Because that’s in the bounds of your daily routine if you are not a member robbers gang.

Though this situation is improving drastically, with mainstream movies picking up the feministic aura which is filling the air.

Learning about a world beyond yours

Polish Drama series, Dekalog is loosely based on the 10 Commandments and offers a best case study about human emotions, specifically pain. Krzysztof Kieslowski (Writer/Director), Krzysztof Piesiewicz (writer) has created a portrait of human emotions in these 10 stories, which often left open to humans interpretation without a proper closure or conclusion.

I don’t speak Polish, I even missed many cultural references yet it provided me an insight into a country with an organized structure(like most western countries). Yet the portrayal of human emotions and the evident dilemma in tragedy transcends the barrier of culture and language and reaches to you by the language of cinematic art.

Yet, it’s a nightmare for me to suggest a series like this to someone who yearns for escapist cinema.

Realistic cinema is much closer to reality and hence it helps you dive into cultural realities and often trigger cultural appropriation. More than that it makes you aware of the public structure of different countries, the similarities in discrimination, and distinction in tackling that discrimination.

People dream of doing something out of the social norms, break the rule, rebelling for no reason, love someone unconditionally, and whatnot. But as you might have noticed, Life doesn’t treat you so fictitiously. Some people don’t get such opportunities, while others aren’t brave enough to snatch the opportunity when it arrives.

Well, I’ve gotta go. I’ve had a hard day and I’m going to fix some popcorn, get a beer and watch a cheesy movie since it’s weekend.