60 Before 60 Project: #17 - Go See a Movie... By Myself

Some people love to go to the theatre to see movies on the big screen. Personally, I usually go when a movie has some type of special effects or music that you just can’t replicate on a home screen. 

When was the last time you saw a movie in a theatre?

For me, I can’t remember the last time I went to see a movie. It was before the start of the pandemic so it’s got to be at least over a couple of years ago. 

But here’s a question – when was the last time you went to see a movie by yourself? 

I vividly remember the last time I went. It was 25 years ago. The Titanic had just been released and everyone was raving about how you had to see this movie on the big screen to get the full impact. It was getting near the end of the movie being run and most of my friends had already seen it. Even my husband had gone to see it with a friend when I wasn’t able to go.  

Now I’m a pretty social creature and I was running out of both time and people to see the movie with. I thought, if I want to go and see this then why not just go myself. I had never done this before, so it was a real shift in thinking for me. At the time I was home on maternity leave, so I secured childcare and one afternoon I went off to the movie theatre. 

I must admit it felt decadent sitting in a theatre in the dark by myself in the middle of the day. I wondered what people thought of me sitting there all alone. But as soon as the lights went down and the movie started, who really cared. This turned out to be a liberating experience knowing that I could go and see a movie by myself and that I didn’t need anyone to go with. 

That was the first and last time I ever went to see a movie by myself. 

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Titanic movie and it was showing in a local theatre in 3D. It just seemed too coincidental for me to miss this opportunity for my 60 Before 60 Project to go and watch a movie alone again 25 years later. 

So off I went. 

This time there wasn’t any hesitation on my part. It again felt liberating in some ways. There was no debate over where to sit. No sharing of popcorn or snacks. I also had the added bonus of only being in a theatre with 4 other people so in many ways it felt like I was at a private viewing. 

The movie was also being shown in 3D. Gone were the weird 3D paper glasses with green and red lenses. They had been replaced by black plastic frames. The underwater scenes were especially effective. 

This time though I also experienced a bit of melancholy.

I couldn’t help but think about the potential future need for me to do things independently. These days, my husband and I do most things together. But 70% of married women will become widows and 76% of these women become widows before the age of 59. That’s how old I am now. 

So as much as I was choosing to do this activity by myself, potentially in the future I also had to face the reality that it may become more of a necessity. 

For now, it’s good to know I can still see a movie by myself but next time I’ll probably just go with my husband. 

My 60 Before 60 Lesson: It’s nice to know you can do things on your own but also great when you can share them. 

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