In touch with what's inside
It's Father's Day weekend and while the boys went out for a baseball game, my daughter and I decided to spend some quality time. Ever since she saw the trailer of the new Pixar movie "Inside Out" she's been counting down the days for the release.
So of course we got tickets and went to watch the movie. I was very interested and intrigued by the premise of the movie via trailers: Inside each of us there is a world full of emotions, each represented by a character.
The premise is intriguing. Putting something we do not see (ie. feelings) and make them 'seen', make them talk and act and feel in front of our eyes.
I had high expectations of the movie and I have to say it delivered. I laughed. I cried (Yes, I did). It made me think
Upon just finishing watching it ONCE (because you know this will be one of those movies I will watch over and over again), and while trying not to give too much of the movie away, here is what I took from the movie:
1. We all have feelings.
Yes, every single human and animal character in the movie had a 'team' and a 'headquarters' inside them regulating each individual. The goal was simple: To keep the individual healthy. There is Joy, Fear, Sadness, Disgust, and who can forget Anger.
Each one of us has our own version of the 5 feelings because each of us is unique.
At first we get the distinct feeling that Joy takes precedence over the others. The others are followers, and to a certain extend Joy tries to convert the others. After all, to be healthy was to be happy all the time.
They all find out that's not the case as the movie continues.
In the end, the movie reminds us that all feelings are necessary to stay healthy. And to feel NOTHING (the main character, a girl named Riley, almost ran into that crisis) was the worst thing that could ever happen to us.
2. We all have memories.
We see glimpses of Riley's past as she grows into a pre-teen. All these events become memories stored inside her. Some are happy, sad, etc. But for the most part "headquarters" tries to minimize negative feelings and accentuate JOY.
Some of these memories are so special, they become Core Memories. Core memories then build in us what we call Personality. Personality, then, is the sum of our experiences. And as we grow our personalities may change.
Another thing about memories: As we accumulate memories, we will discover that some older memories may become irrelevant and we may choose to discard them to make room for what we think may be more important. Sometimes, we may retrieve some fond memories because we like them a lot; at other times we may bury others to let them die. Either way, what struck me was that these were choices we make.
3. The role of a good cry
At the climax of the movie we are reminded that while Joy tried so hard to protect Riley from sadness, what she did not understand was that sadness HAD a ROLE to play in the well being of Riley's life. To deprive her of sadness was to hurt her. At the end, Joy and Sadness realize that sometimes happy memories are interwoven with sadness. In essence: mixed feelings are normal. Just because there is an ounce of sadness in a memory doesn't mean that it is bad. Just because what we remember is all the Joy, doesn't necessarily mean that it was all good either.
Yes, I cried. I cried when Riley (or, more accurately, Joy) decided that it was OK to feel sadness. And when the family got together and acknowledged their feelings. Sometimes, all we need is to let it go - to let out a good cry.
4. When feelings clash
There is another scene that touched me. Riley is going through a lot of changes, and so are her parents. At the dinner table everyone's "headquarters" is trying hard to make sense of the situation, to reach out, and to stay 'happy' and 'healthy'. However, things don't go well and in the end Riley is grounded. I felt I was reliving my own life. Having kids at home who are growing now I have lived through similar situations countless times. But this reminded me that not only was Riley (aka my own kids) going through a million thoughts and feelings inside her, her parents (aka me) was too.
Inside Out is a wonderful movie. Having kids that are sensitive, I wonder how this movie will be interpreted by my sensitive kid (who hasn't seen the movie yet).
We know we have feelings, imagination, thoughts, long and short term memories, personalities and forgetfulness. But all of these things sometimes seem so abstract. Pixar has made them visible to us, and in the process, has cause some of us, if we want to go there, to ponder about what these things mean in our lives.
The last part of the movie is truly beautiful: allow yourself to feel. We need to feel and feel it all. All the feelings must work together as a team. Family is a core element in our personalities. Seasons change in life and so will our personalities and likes and dislikes and ways we behave change.
The missing link
There is one item missing in the movie, though. How Riley responds to her surroundings is dependent on this world inside her. This is a movie, so it's fine for the purposes of this movie and its plot line. But as I discussed the movie with my daughter we discussed the role God plays in 'regulating' our emotions and making sure that we are healthy 'inside'. Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Fear and Anger are left to figure out how to best protect Riley's well being by themselves. When Joy (the apparent leader) has an accident and is unable to lead from headquarters, the rest is left with no direction.
And at times, that is how we feel. We feel we have to figure it all out by ourselves. Or, that we need to sort it out. But imagine the relief, using the same imagery Pixar has given us, if there was Creator. Someone made headquarters and wrote all the Manuals Sadness read in the movie. Ultimately, He can help Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger and Fear. He will direct. There is always hope because He cares for Riley even more than they do.
In a sense, come to think of it, maybe He was in the movie. But all along the only one who took the time to pay attention to it was Sadness....
So of course we got tickets and went to watch the movie. I was very interested and intrigued by the premise of the movie via trailers: Inside each of us there is a world full of emotions, each represented by a character.
The premise is intriguing. Putting something we do not see (ie. feelings) and make them 'seen', make them talk and act and feel in front of our eyes.
I had high expectations of the movie and I have to say it delivered. I laughed. I cried (Yes, I did). It made me think
Upon just finishing watching it ONCE (because you know this will be one of those movies I will watch over and over again), and while trying not to give too much of the movie away, here is what I took from the movie:
1. We all have feelings.
Yes, every single human and animal character in the movie had a 'team' and a 'headquarters' inside them regulating each individual. The goal was simple: To keep the individual healthy. There is Joy, Fear, Sadness, Disgust, and who can forget Anger.
Each one of us has our own version of the 5 feelings because each of us is unique.
At first we get the distinct feeling that Joy takes precedence over the others. The others are followers, and to a certain extend Joy tries to convert the others. After all, to be healthy was to be happy all the time.
They all find out that's not the case as the movie continues.
In the end, the movie reminds us that all feelings are necessary to stay healthy. And to feel NOTHING (the main character, a girl named Riley, almost ran into that crisis) was the worst thing that could ever happen to us.
2. We all have memories.
We see glimpses of Riley's past as she grows into a pre-teen. All these events become memories stored inside her. Some are happy, sad, etc. But for the most part "headquarters" tries to minimize negative feelings and accentuate JOY.
Some of these memories are so special, they become Core Memories. Core memories then build in us what we call Personality. Personality, then, is the sum of our experiences. And as we grow our personalities may change.
Another thing about memories: As we accumulate memories, we will discover that some older memories may become irrelevant and we may choose to discard them to make room for what we think may be more important. Sometimes, we may retrieve some fond memories because we like them a lot; at other times we may bury others to let them die. Either way, what struck me was that these were choices we make.
3. The role of a good cry
At the climax of the movie we are reminded that while Joy tried so hard to protect Riley from sadness, what she did not understand was that sadness HAD a ROLE to play in the well being of Riley's life. To deprive her of sadness was to hurt her. At the end, Joy and Sadness realize that sometimes happy memories are interwoven with sadness. In essence: mixed feelings are normal. Just because there is an ounce of sadness in a memory doesn't mean that it is bad. Just because what we remember is all the Joy, doesn't necessarily mean that it was all good either.
Yes, I cried. I cried when Riley (or, more accurately, Joy) decided that it was OK to feel sadness. And when the family got together and acknowledged their feelings. Sometimes, all we need is to let it go - to let out a good cry.
4. When feelings clash
There is another scene that touched me. Riley is going through a lot of changes, and so are her parents. At the dinner table everyone's "headquarters" is trying hard to make sense of the situation, to reach out, and to stay 'happy' and 'healthy'. However, things don't go well and in the end Riley is grounded. I felt I was reliving my own life. Having kids at home who are growing now I have lived through similar situations countless times. But this reminded me that not only was Riley (aka my own kids) going through a million thoughts and feelings inside her, her parents (aka me) was too.
Inside Out is a wonderful movie. Having kids that are sensitive, I wonder how this movie will be interpreted by my sensitive kid (who hasn't seen the movie yet).
We know we have feelings, imagination, thoughts, long and short term memories, personalities and forgetfulness. But all of these things sometimes seem so abstract. Pixar has made them visible to us, and in the process, has cause some of us, if we want to go there, to ponder about what these things mean in our lives.
The last part of the movie is truly beautiful: allow yourself to feel. We need to feel and feel it all. All the feelings must work together as a team. Family is a core element in our personalities. Seasons change in life and so will our personalities and likes and dislikes and ways we behave change.
The missing link
There is one item missing in the movie, though. How Riley responds to her surroundings is dependent on this world inside her. This is a movie, so it's fine for the purposes of this movie and its plot line. But as I discussed the movie with my daughter we discussed the role God plays in 'regulating' our emotions and making sure that we are healthy 'inside'. Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Fear and Anger are left to figure out how to best protect Riley's well being by themselves. When Joy (the apparent leader) has an accident and is unable to lead from headquarters, the rest is left with no direction.
And at times, that is how we feel. We feel we have to figure it all out by ourselves. Or, that we need to sort it out. But imagine the relief, using the same imagery Pixar has given us, if there was Creator. Someone made headquarters and wrote all the Manuals Sadness read in the movie. Ultimately, He can help Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger and Fear. He will direct. There is always hope because He cares for Riley even more than they do.
In a sense, come to think of it, maybe He was in the movie. But all along the only one who took the time to pay attention to it was Sadness....
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