MovieChat Forums > Harold and Maude (1971) Discussion > I kind of had similar relationship...

I kind of had similar relationship...

posted 13 years ago by JustMammal
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Someone recommended me years ago to see this movie after she found about my unusual relationship and I finally seen it yesterday on Netflix.

So here's my story in a nutshell: I was suicidal since age 12, and despite my above average intelligence & looks never slept with anyone until I was 23. Then I finally slept with a woman exactly twice my age. She was bipolar, so in a way she resembled Maude. My mother was horrified when she found this out (I was the only child). Especially, when I was contemplating to marry her & even attempt to have children with her!

Now, while I was suicidal, I was much more talkative & joyful, than Harold, & my "Maude" wasn't nearly quite as philosophical & innately intelligent as Maude.(Although she was very free spirited & spontaneous, not to the point of braking the law, though. And loved decorations & plants.) So the comparisons can go only so far.

Anyway, the complicated romance lasted for almost two years. And, I haven't known any woman since (I am 29 now). Nor, I have much desire to know other women, or other women have desire to know me (I am not nearly as wealthy as Harold).

But that's life, and I would rather live vicariously through lives of others in the movies I watch. It's less complicated that way, and I am still too emotionally vulnerable to establish serious relationships. A bad romance, can be literally life threatening for me (despite my current anti-depressant medications and the pets that keep me alive).

[–] MyMovieTVRomance 13 years ago

Hi there,

Just wanted to let you know you're not alone---we sound very similar! Except that I'm in my mid-20s and still a virgin (though I wish I could have at least one good sexual experience)!

I too fell in-love with someone much older than me... she was wonderful! Sadly, it didn't last, but I have never loved someone so much since. And, YES!! FINALLY! Someone else who likes to live vicariously though movies! I do that all the time!! I can just feel what the characters are feeling sometimes and I literally swoon at the idea of some of the movie scenery, etc. That's part of why movies are such an obsession with me! And, as pathetic as this might sound, most of the happy moments in my life are due to how certain movies made me feel! I don't know if you are quite that drastic, but anyway, yeah, I can relate to your post.

Thanks for sharing your story!

I am the movies I love! (^_^)

[–] JustMammal 13 years ago

Well, the fact is most of the life is composed of a boring routine. Even, seemingly glamorous lives of top actors & athletes is composed of constant, boring rehearsals and banal, even if gossip-inducing, events; and high rolling executives with a 10K square foot house & 10mil per year & a playmate wife often work 80 hours a week constantly stressing out over their personal & business lives.

And, I don't think homeless hippies or trust-fund babies have a enchanting life either: unless your are a masterful Buddhist monk, staring for hours at the people (or the golf ball) going by is not very enthralling.

On the other hand, a good movie can condense a decade worth of experiences. While a great movie can condense a lifetime into a few hours.

Unless, somebody is constantly watching formulaic B-movies, it is possible to experience the essence of many thousands of different & unique lives in one's lifetime through the cinema. While we can intellectually distinguish between reality & moving pictures. Emotionally, we can emerge ourselves so deeply into fantasy that it becomes our real life.

My roommate is similar to me, in the fact that he tries to escape his gray existence in role-playing online games like Word of Warcraft. For me though, the virtual reality of video games is even more boring than the actual reality. To each, their own. But I don't think you can compare the script & execution of a good movie, into which real talent, dedication, time and a money went. With the script & execution of a fantasy raid against Dragons by uninspired amateurs.

While I am not watching movies, I like to listen to good audio-books, especially histories & biographies (I prefer to watch fictional novels on screen). I do this, while performing boring tasks around the house. Again, I try to mentally remove myself from my gray existence and immerse into the lives of other.

[–] MyMovieTVRomance 13 years ago

While I am not watching movies, I like to listen to good audio-books, especially histories & biographies (I prefer to watch fictional novels on screen). I do this, while performing boring tasks around the house. Again, I try to mentally remove myself from my gray existence and immerse into the lives of other.

That's a lot like me too! But, I tend to rea d (as opposed to listen to)bios (celeb bios mostly). As for fiction, I love it better on the silver screen! I must admit though---I'm a sucker for "formulaic B-movies"! I like the simple stuff mostly, like a good love-story or something with one of my favorite actresses. For example, lately, I've been gaga over a trite little movie called "The Stars Are Singing" (1953) [available on Netflix streaming]. Why? Well, because it's cute, for one thing, and because Rosemary Clooney stars in it. Rosie is the apple of my eye here lately! I'm just enchanted by the way she was in the 1950s!

The way I see it, unless or until my own love affair comes along, I'll let Harold and Maude be mine... while I gape at Rosemary Clooney! ; - )

Oh, and when I'm forced to face reality, I like to try to enjoy it as much as I can, by just taking it easy... I turn chores (like hanging clothes in the closet) into a therapeutic, peaceful experience, by doing them to the soothing sounds of easy instrumentals, jazz songs, and vocal standards. And, while I'm doing that, I'm thinking of movie places and Rosemary Clooney! Hehe!

I am the movies I love! (^_^)

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[–] 13 years ago

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