To be clear, I've gone and seen lots of movies over the years, so it's not like I have a small pool of choices.
However, my film standards have gotten much simpler.
Back then, I look at organic unity, theme, plot, and other elements of a story and production that make up a great movie.
Nowadays, as long as I don't fall asleep while watching it, it's already not a bad film.
And there are lots of good films in the past 10 years:
Most of Pixar's stuff is good to great. And the MCU films are a treat to watch.
But again, only three films continue to haunt me after months and years of watching it.
The first three were Mother!, Arrival, and Oldboy.
It would take me an entire day to write about each film and how awe-inspiring they are in different ways. But that's not the purpose of this post.
Rather, I'd want to discuss the fourth movie I've seen for the past decade that moved me.
And you probably already know based on the image on top.
Prior to watching Steven Universe the Movie, I have zero exposure to the series. I've seen glimpses of its episodes on TV but never fully understood it enough to make a judgment about it.
I was also forced to watch the film when my daughter asked me to watch it with her. While I had no problems viewing it, I had very little expectations from the movie and expected it to be another cut-and-dry animated film just like most of its ilk are.
But, lo and behold, it rekindled something in me just before the credits rolled.
The film was unlike any other film I've seen in a long time.
I'll just try and do some rapid-fire thoughts here about Steven Universe the Movie that I've been bottling in for a long time:
It borrowed a lot from old Disney classics with the throwback introduction and song numbers. But it certainly had an identity of its own based on its lush and vibrant soundtrack that feels alive.
That fight scene set to RNB music was something else. In theory, it shouldn't work due to the clash of styles. But it just fit right in there like hand in glove. You have to see it for yourself.
I'd like to get back to talking about the songs because I can't get enough of them. I was caught by its soundtrack bug almost a month after seeing it. My daughter and I played and sang its songs every day like a broken record.
There are probably a lot more things I loved about the movie that I'm missing right now. But if there's one thing that I truly appreciated from the film, it's this.
Kindness.
Goddamn, unadulterated, pure kindness.
This is what I feel the main character Steven Universe embodies.
In a world where even the most common of courtesies is lost, it's exhilarating to see and feel something that even shows a sliver of decency.
It gave me a sense of comfort knowing that something, somewhere out there believes in kindness, which paved the way for a character like Steven to exist.
And I know it's a cartoon show that may ultimately be trivial in a fleeting kind of way. Everything will eventually devolve back into the ways things are meant to be because you can't alter destiny.
If anything, the film gave me hope.
Hope is a funny concept because it's stupid. It's not grounded in anything concrete or reassuring.
People hold on to its idea nonetheless because of the possibility that it could bring.
Not that it's going to happen anytime soon, but Steven Universe gave me hope that life could be better.
And it is good, don't get me wrong. Despite my deep pessimism and nihilism in general, life is something worth striving and fighting for. Just because I'm not all sunshine and rainbows, doesn't mean everybody should be as well.
And that's what made me appreciate Steven Universe even more.
When I looked at how my daughter marveled at some of the scenes in the film, I can see her eyes shine with hope.
I would like to expose her to how great life could be and not how toxic it is.
And no matter how excruciatingly pointless it is to hope, I want to keep that fire in her alive, that despite everything, they can always believe in something so beautiful, it could be real.
Who knows?
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