I Didn’t Like the Movie Pulp Fiction

and it helped me find my true self

Pulp Fiction released in 1994 and it is considered a benchmark for post-modern movies. It is considered Quentin Tarantino’s magnum opus and critics continue to rave about the unique screenwriting and the overall eccentricity involved in the movie. It won the Palme d’Or — the highest prize awarded at the Cannes film festival that year, along with other accolades.

Obviously, all of this dictated my decision to watch the movie.

Once I was done, more than being disappointed, the primary thought that filled my head was — how is it that I didn’t like the movie when the entire planet thought it was a masterpiece?

I convinced myself maybe the movie was beyond my comprehension and that’s probably why I didn't like it. Fortunately, I didn’t do a good job of convincing myself. With all due respect for Quentin Tarantino and the stalwarts that acted in that movie, I just couldn’t find any value in it.

Every time the movie came up as a discussion point, I wouldn’t hesitate to put forward my views about how I didn’t like it. I have obviously surprised people with my stand, and honestly, it is something I am proud of.

What is there to be proud of?

My difference in opinion helped me understand how it is okay to have a radically different view; even if the whole world believes the contrary.

Argumentum ad populum- it is Latin for “if many believe so, it is so”.

It is a common fallacy and it has caused people to suppress their original thoughts solely because they wanted to be in line with the thought patterns of the general mob. The bandwagon attitude of following what everyone else is doing, in fear of missing out or being an outcast is nothing but murdering your personality.

Once you realize the freedom you can exercise when your thinking isn’t controlled by anyone’s views or by the opinions of the majority, you are liberated; liberated at a supreme level!

Even a prisoner who has a similar attitude can call themselves free despite the walls of a prison surrounding them. That’s the exact attitude Rubin Carter had when he was wrongfully convicted of a triple murder during his prime time as a boxer.

The first retrial upheld his life sentence and everyone told him not to ever have any hopes of getting out of prison. That didn’t deter him and he decided to learn the law to fight his case. After serving 20 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, his sentence was overturned and Carter was a free man.

Imagine if Carter was a victim of the mob mentality and listened to the naysayers?

We may not be physically imprisoned, but to follow what the majority thinks is right is nothing short of imprisonment.

Thank you for reading!