For some, a trip to the art museum, a pair of noise-canceling headphones to listen to music, or a long walk to study the art form that is nature offers a more affordable form of therapy. Another alternative might be paying for a movie ticket at your local theater—or simply clicking play at home using one of the many streaming services now available. Film is therapy. It’s ninety minutes to two hours of escapism from the real world and all its anxieties. And once the credits roll, yes, those hardships may still be there—but the power of cinema can create a blank canvas in your mind, helping things take a better shape going forward.
Cinema Therapy
For starters, utilizing the ability to watch a movie to clear one's mind and put your dilemmas to rest for some time is actually a well-documented form of therapy. Dr. Gary Solomon, MPH, MSW, Ph.D., was one of the first mental health professionals to write about using cinema as a therapeutic practice. So much so that he wrote two books about it, The Motion Picture Prescription: Watch This Movie and Call Me in the Morning, and his other novel, Reel Therapy. Since then, numerous additions to written work have supported the idea of Cinema Therapy. A film, no matter the genre, can be more than just what a studio presents it as in its marketing plan. It can take a viewer out of their comfort zone in terms of their beliefs, opinions on the state of the world, or indoctrinated views and help a person process emotions. A work of art of any kind helps us build up empathy and break down the path to healing any built-up guilt or trauma.
The Effect on Children
Beloved television host Mr. Rogers once said, "Children have intense feelings, just the way everybody does," which makes their emotional responses to life’s hardships even more challenging to navigate. In 2010, a case study utilizing the therapeutic power of cinema was used over multiple sessions with different children who were experiencing a divorce between their parents. By using their real-life conflicts in comparison to fictional conflicts on screen, the children went on to experience emotional relief from the issues that had bogged them down.
The Underlying Commentary
Most films of any genre have some underlying conflict or mirror a societal problem within them, and we may not even realize it at first glance. Horror films of the 1970s that were often deemed too violent for the ratings board were just a reflection of the Vietnam War and the violence that was portrayed on television in middle American living rooms. Most comic book superheroes have a story to tell that reflects the times in which they were created. Being able to spot these moments of social commentary in the film demonstrates high intelligence while also facilitating a deep-rooted connection to the film's message.
If there is one thing that has been woven into storytelling, it is that there is always supposed to be a form of catharsis to it. Film can be abstract and not always give us what we want, often leaving us with more questions than answers. Still, some of the most beloved pieces of cinema can pull us out of a funk, encourage us to keep going, and bring people comfort because, in the end, the movies are a magical place.