Connecting with a film is not at all uncommon: they can recall memories, provide clarity, offer solace and provide hope. In some rare instances, they can borrow your life's story. Well, at least that's how I felt watching "500 Days of Summer."
After reading numerous reviews, I knew I'd connect with Tom. After all, he's a sensitive, creative, music-loving romantic that has a way with words (while I don't write greeting cards, my sentiments have been known to sound similar). Like Tom, I often find myself falling for dark-haired, nerdy girls with an fiercely independent streak. Of course, all romantics believe that, in time, the object of affection will come to change her mind; however, as Tom and I often learn, sometimes we're just not the one.
During the film, I started taking mental notes of the moments that gave me pause: coincidence or psychic phenomenon? I'm still trying to decide...
01. Answer: Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
I like to ask friends, "if anyone could play you in a film, who would you choose?" Personally, I've always thought Joseph Gordon-Levitt would be my choice... there's an earnestness and vulnerability that he brings to his performances (look no further than Mysterious Skin and The Lookout) that would be required for the cinematic me ... that, and he's one of a few ethnically-neutral characters that could play an Asian heartthrob like me.
02. The Sorrows of Young Werther.
After Tom expresses his romantic convictions to Summer at the karaoke bar, she mockingly calls him Young Werther, a name that I've used as my nome de plume since I read Goethe's novel over a decade ago. To many sensitive souls, Werther is a romantic hero; to me, he's a self-absorbed, egotistical fool... but, to anyone who's aware of the character, they certainly will have an opinion. Recently, someone asked me why I chose his name: "Because I'm as sensitive and unforgettable (as Werther)." And, I must say, I've lived up to my declaration for the most part this year.
03. He's Lost Control.
Who wouldn't want to live in their "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and "Unknown Pleasures" t-shirts? A few years ago, I was so dedicated that I thought about getting the Unknown Pleasures artwork tattooed on the base of my spine. In pursuit of my permanent t-shirt, I was turned down by three tattooists, who worried the line work would fade into a mess over time. I thought better of the decision and got a tattoo of my favorite Klimt illustration (Blood of the Fishes) instead.
04. Anglophiles of the World, Unite and Take Over. The Smiths? Check. Belle and Sebastian? Two Checks. I was a huge B&S nerd from 1998 to 2000, putting Flight of the Chonchord's Mel to shame with the memorabilia that accented my outfits, backpack, walls and desk. At the time, my dream was to marry Isobel Campbell and move to the Green Fields of Foreverland... alas, reality and a new obsession with Audrey Tatou ruined my plans.
05. How Alain De Botton Will Change Your Life.
In 1996, one of my literature professors gave me a copy of Alain De Botton's "On Love," which quickly became my favorite book. It's a story about a boy who meets a girl on a flight and spends the rest of the story analyzing their unraveling relationship as well as the meaning of fate... sound familiar? Since then, I've prescribed "On Love" to friends following broken hearts and have shared "How Proust Can Save Your Life" and "The Consolations of Philosophy" with others looking for an insightful read. De Botton has a magical way of translating the erudite and philosophical into wistful, self-deprecating melodramas that can provoke laughs in even the saddest situations. So, I'm not surprised to see Tom reading "The Architecture of Happiness", which I'm in the middle of reading.
06. Collecting Moments, One By One. Feist's "Mushaboom" is one of my all-time favorite songs. To me, it's about finally finding that person with whom life, love—and all the sticky stuff that gets between the two—makes sense. I've been borrowing the lyrics, "we'll collect the moments one by one, I guess that's how the future's done" for my holiday cards and blog tagline for the past few years.
07. Carla Bruni and Knorr Soup. Carla Bruni's "Quelqu'un m'a dit" has followed me around since I first heard the track in 2005. An ex shared this Knorr Soup commercial with me, which uses the song as the soundtrack to a blossoming love affair reaching across great distances. I smile every time I watch.
08. The Number 88.
My favorite number is 88. In Chinese culture, 8 is the number of fortune and happiness, so 88 is the number for double happiness, so I guess you can consider me greedy. In the film, the most pivotal day of Tom and Summer's relationship happens on day 488. Coincidence, right?
Now that the Blu Ray is released, I'm sure to find additional similarities between my life's story and the film, but for now, I'm satiated by the idea that my life is interesting enough for people to watch on the big screen. Or, it's all just sublime coincidence and I've become a self-absorbed, egotistical fool. Romantics worry most about being forgotten, and "500 Days of Summer" won't let that happen to me anytime soon. My new goal is to make sure the sequel is just as unforgettable. Marc Webb, are you paying attention?
My Life In Film #488
Connecting with a film is not at all uncommon: they can recall memories, provide clarity, offer solace and provide hope. In some rare instances, they can borrow your life's story. Well, at least that's how I felt watching "500 Days of Summer."
After reading numerous reviews, I knew I'd connect with Tom. After all, he's a sensitive, creative, music-loving romantic that has a way with words (while I don't write greeting cards, my sentiments have been known to sound similar). Like Tom, I often find myself falling for dark-haired, nerdy girls with an fiercely independent streak. Of course, all romantics believe that, in time, the object of affection will come to change her mind; however, as Tom and I often learn, sometimes we're just not the one.
During the film, I started taking mental notes of the moments that gave me pause: coincidence or psychic phenomenon? I'm still trying to decide...
01. Answer: Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
I like to ask friends, "if anyone could play you in a film, who would you choose?" Personally, I've always thought Joseph Gordon-Levitt would be my choice... there's an earnestness and vulnerability that he brings to his performances (look no further than Mysterious Skin and The Lookout) that would be required for the cinematic me ... that, and he's one of a few ethnically-neutral characters that could play an Asian heartthrob like me.
After Tom expresses his romantic convictions to Summer at the karaoke bar, she mockingly calls him Young Werther, a name that I've used as my nome de plume since I read Goethe's novel over a decade ago. To many sensitive souls, Werther is a romantic hero; to me, he's a self-absorbed, egotistical fool... but, to anyone who's aware of the character, they certainly will have an opinion. Recently, someone asked me why I chose his name: "Because I'm as sensitive and unforgettable (as Werther)." And, I must say, I've lived up to my declaration for the most part this year.
Who wouldn't want to live in their "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and "Unknown Pleasures" t-shirts? A few years ago, I was so dedicated that I thought about getting the Unknown Pleasures artwork tattooed on the base of my spine. In pursuit of my permanent t-shirt, I was turned down by three tattooists, who worried the line work would fade into a mess over time. I thought better of the decision and got a tattoo of my favorite Klimt illustration (Blood of the Fishes) instead.
04. Anglophiles of the World, Unite and Take Over.
The Smiths? Check. Belle and Sebastian? Two Checks. I was a huge B&S nerd from 1998 to 2000, putting Flight of the Chonchord's Mel to shame with the memorabilia that accented my outfits, backpack, walls and desk. At the time, my dream was to marry Isobel Campbell and move to the Green Fields of Foreverland... alas, reality and a new obsession with Audrey Tatou ruined my plans.
In 1996, one of my literature professors gave me a copy of Alain De Botton's "On Love," which quickly became my favorite book. It's a story about a boy who meets a girl on a flight and spends the rest of the story analyzing their unraveling relationship as well as the meaning of fate... sound familiar? Since then, I've prescribed "On Love" to friends following broken hearts and have shared "How Proust Can Save Your Life" and "The Consolations of Philosophy" with others looking for an insightful read. De Botton has a magical way of translating the erudite and philosophical into wistful, self-deprecating melodramas that can provoke laughs in even the saddest situations. So, I'm not surprised to see Tom reading "The Architecture of Happiness", which I'm in the middle of reading.
06. Collecting Moments, One By One.
Feist's "Mushaboom" is one of my all-time favorite songs. To me, it's about finally finding that person with whom life, love—and all the sticky stuff that gets between the two—makes sense. I've been borrowing the lyrics, "we'll collect the moments one by one, I guess that's how the future's done" for my holiday cards and blog tagline for the past few years.
07. Carla Bruni and Knorr Soup.
Carla Bruni's "Quelqu'un m'a dit" has followed me around since I first heard the track in 2005. An ex shared this Knorr Soup commercial with me, which uses the song as the soundtrack to a blossoming love affair reaching across great distances. I smile every time I watch.
08. The Number 88.
My favorite number is 88. In Chinese culture, 8 is the number of fortune and happiness, so 88 is the number for double happiness, so I guess you can consider me greedy. In the film, the most pivotal day of Tom and Summer's relationship happens on day 488. Coincidence, right?
Now that the Blu Ray is released, I'm sure to find additional similarities between my life's story and the film, but for now, I'm satiated by the idea that my life is interesting enough for people to watch on the big screen. Or, it's all just sublime coincidence and I've become a self-absorbed, egotistical fool. Romantics worry most about being forgotten, and "500 Days of Summer" won't let that happen to me anytime soon. My new goal is to make sure the sequel is just as unforgettable. Marc Webb, are you paying attention?