Have you ever found the exact right movie at the exact right time?
I first saw Little Manhattan in May 2011. I watched it online over the course of two nights. And it will permanently resonate with me.
For a little background, I had just kicked out my boyfriend of 5 years for cheating on me. It wasn't the first time I had caught him, but it was the first time I finally had the balls to say 'Enough'. But...5 years. We had started dating when I was 18. We moved in together when I was 19. This was all I had known outside my family.
So I was sitting at home, alone, on the couch we used to share, knowing that about this time I would be cooking him dinner and we'd be talking about some BS that happened at work. But I was alone; there was no one to cook for. I wondered if I should take him back; if anyone else would ever love me. I spent most of my time outside of work crying like an idiot, lying on the floor. Thinking about calling him and telling him I was sorry (even though he was the cheater, WTF). But instead of calling him, I watched this movie.
I don't know what it was exactly. But watching this movie changed things for me. I watched it over the course of two nights, like I said, eating the meal I had cooked just for myself, sadly putting unheard of leftovers into a Tupperware. And somehow just watching it made me feel lighter. The first night, after watching half of it, I moved all the furniture around in MY apartment. I realized that I was free, and it was my place to do what I wanted with. I stopped taking my ex's calls. I kissed a guy I worked with just for fun (he's now my boyfriend, but I made him wait six months before I made it official). I got my nose pierced without asking anyone for permission. I worked double shifts and drank until two in the morning.
I think maybe it was the portrayal of young love, and the reminder of what I had hoped for when I was younger versus what I had gotten with my ex. Regardless, this was the perfect movie that I somehow watched at the perfect time. Surely I'm not alone in this happening, maybe not with this movie but in general?