I can’t think of any type of person that is more widely and unanimously hated than The Pedophile and yet 1 in 4 girls is sexually abused before her 18th birthday. Perceived societal tolerance of an issue often means very little in terms of how much it happens
sorry to add ugly commentary to a fantastic post that stands on its own but it’s important for people to know that i and my friends run online movie nights for people a LOT and every single time we do, there is one person who does this no matter how anodyne or simple the film is. some of this is just human stupidity and nothing to do with Modern Times (you will find complaints of old people doing it in movie theaters going back to the midcentury) but a Lot Of it is the Netflix effect from only ever watching stuff designed in a lab to be turned into soundbites, gifs, and to repeat plot points and jokes for everyone who is watching while scrolling on their phones.
I’ve started just telling them straight up that before about 2010, movies were written and edited in a way that required you to actually watch the movie or you are going to miss things and you do not get a second chance. last time we had a movie night, someone asked questions through the entirety of Lost Boys, and then left their computer for 20 minutes, came back, and demanded an explanation of “what happened” while they were gone.
assuming you are of average cognitive ability and capable of following a plot (and i know someone is going to scold me for ableism, i am NOT talking about people with a disability that prevents narrative comprehension and you know it) it’s not just embarrassing for YOU to not simply use your critical thinking skills to perceive a story, it’s actively intrusive, rude, and disrespectful to the people around you and to the film itself.
stop doing this. just shut the fuck up! if you still have questions when the movie is completely over and the entire plot has been wrapped up, THINK about it. is the narrative tension left unresolved on purpose? sometimes it is, because ambiguity is a valid storytelling technique utilized to create specific effects in film. after you’re done thinking, THEN is the time to start asking questions. discussion of the film happens after the film so that everyone has the opportunity to get all of the information the filmmaker wants to offer and so no one’s viewing experience is interrupted or made worse. this is extremely basic “living in the world as an adult” manners.
