Garden State

I've been thinking a lot about the movie Garden State, which I saw a few days ago. Seeing it was one of those rare experiences where, as I sat there watching it, I felt an extremely close and powerful connection with the filmmaker. As the scenes and characters unfolded, it was as though I was slipping in and out of a dream- it felt like my subconscious was up on screen, in the form of people, places, and music.

If you see the movie, listen to the song Caring Is Creepy, and feel something that's more than the sum of its parts, we've got a lot in common.

Does this make Garden State a great movie? Sure, for me. Many people who love movies could list a few that have specially touched them in very strong, personal ways. Being able to make that connection is evidence of an effective and powerful film, but not necessarily indicative of a film with broad appeal. And such an emotional reaction to a film is also often the result of an audience member being willing and able to proactively make a strong emotional investment in the movie- an investment that cuts the filmmakers significant slack if and when needed.

Many of my closest friends' favorite films are really boring and inaccessible to me. I would imagine that Garden State will provide many people with a similar reaction, but to me, I walked out having been touched.