Winter winds.

I don’t understand why it got bad reviews.

I mean, sure, I understand that a lot of those negative reviews were “the plot is stupid” or “the trailer was misleading,” but I honestly feel like people are missing the point. I feel like our society is so much like WHEN IS SOMETHING GOING TO BLOW UP THOUGH? Can’t we be patient with a film that is relying on dialogue rather than special effects?

Or maybe it’s because people don’t want to face harsh realities of life. Maybe we would just rather watch something entertaining and not think about the hard stuff and that’s why there’s poor reviews.

I felt the pain of the characters here. I understood we were dealing with abstractions. There were moments when what was said felt so honest and so real that it cut like a knife. “Yes, I was there in her laugh, but I’m also here in your pain.” “You don’t get to choose who you love.” Which brings me to the point of…

Collateral Beauty. What the heck is that term supposed to mean? People were saying wow, what a dumb phrase that means nothing. I’m not 100% sure what it means but it did get me a bit teary eyed (though I didn’t actually cry because I never cry at movies). I think it means that in every loss is beauty. In every blessing there is a curse. In every curse, there’s a hidden blessing. Yes, you lost someone you loved. But how wonderful, how beautiful is it, that she was there? That she existed? That you loved her and she you? It’s bittersweet. It’s loss that defines some thing’s value. Loss… value. The shadow proves the sunshine. Our lives are so fragile and people die every day, yet that fact that we are so fragile and our time so limited gives us a sense of beauty in life and loss and death.

So that’s what I think it’s about. Pain is the proof of beauty and love.