Emily Crawford-Margison

Movies, to me, are the most developed art form we have today. It is a direct line between us and our sometimes secret inner lives, and between us and other people. What may be more important is that movies show us how shockingly short that line really is. It only seems long when we look away or walk in place. I write about what movies do to me.

Unrequited Love is an experiment in film writing, and was created after thinking about what it is I like to read in a film essay, blog, or review, as well as what I don't. At the top of the list for me is Film Comment, a magazine I have no trouble reading cover to cover. But what about blog-post length commentary? I know that there are thousands of blogs writing reviews on films, ranging from academic to 'this is great/this movie sucks.'

What I'm really interested in has to do with the psychology of why people go see movies and what it is that makes a movie stick with them. What can a film do to our psyche? Do documentaries have the power to inspire, enrage, and drive to action? Why do we like to go see horror films, scream, then have nightmares for a week? At the heart of this question, I believe, is our fascination with story, with myth, dating back thousands of years. Learning about life requires more than rote memorization. It requires inspiration, motivation to do something with it. When we follow the hero's journey along with him we are able to glimpse the possibilities. It can spark creativity, and the cycle of art and creation continues. Thanks for your time =)