Instead of merely for entertainment, the ‘ritual’ of watching movies while reflecting upon their plots can be a spiritual practice, not different from conducting thought experiments for living alternative lives in extraordinary or even extreme conditions.
Will you have self-doubt like the protagonist, so much so that you kind of become half a villain through inaction or half-hearted action? Or will you pluck up your courage and save the day, so much so that you become a complete hero? Will you strain to improvise with creative skilful means or simply resign to ‘fate’?
If we are unenthusiastic or squeamish about facing these fictitious dilemmas on the screen, will we be able to face similar or worse fears in real life? The most horrible horror movies can thus be ideal for ‘fear-setting’ and fear-overcoming, serving as mental rehearsals for worst-case scenarios.
Most good films will have clear and satisfying moral messages too, thus imparting important lessons for the audience. Even ambiguous and thus open endings offer us opportunities to contemplate deeper for ourselves, instead of being directly spoonfed by the scriptwriter. With that said, beyond movie-watching, all other otherwise worldly ‘rituals’ in life taken for granted should be spiritualised too!
