Watch a Movie. Change Your Life.

18 Jun Watch a Movie. Change Your Life.

Refashioning one’s life based on watching a motion picture?

That’s a big claim, I’ll admit.

But, here’s the thing: It’s a claim made out of reverence to the force of three principles:

The Power of Story.

The Captivation of Film.

The importance of the “Hero’s Journey” embedded in specific cinema.

A. The Power Of Story:

Our fascination with stories has not diminished since those times. The only difference is that today our storied-information comes from Spotify-delivered music, our scrolling through social media feed, TV and radio-delivered news, as well as from catching up with loved ones over wine or a cup of coffee.

Stories impart lessons as well.

For centuries, narratives have been constructed to communicate values within the family, inside institutions and have even been used to help build societies. They have also been used to broadcast messages about how to conduct ourselves in friendship, courtship, and even in cultural interactions.

In my own life, I internalized lessons about the “correct” way to behave:

Be Polite. Follow the Golden Rule. That sort of thing.

Unfortunately, though, I never received any schooling about How to Be the Hero of My Own Life.

I was not even aware that such an education existed.

But it does—-in stories.

B. The Captivation of Film:

With their vivid images, music, dialogue and special effects, moving pictures are the most captivating means of delivering tales.

As such, it offers the potential to grab our attention and hold it.

In this fast-paced world, this may help us to pause and connect with vital life themes.

Seeing a larger-than-life character tackle a challenge we have in our own lives is one way that movies can provide lessons to lead to our transformation.

And, particular films deliver instruction on being a hero in our own lives, if we know how to look.

C. The Importance of the “Hero’s Journey” in narratives:

It’s Everywhere!

Joseph Campbell, world-renown mythology expert, discovered this concept during his lifetime study of myths and legends exchanged within diverse cultures, and among people of various languages, and religions. He authored The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Follow Your Bliss, and The Power of Myth to document his findings.

In those books, and in the timeless 1988 PBS series of Bill Moyers’ interviews, Campbell explains his work.

Here is what Campbell Discovered: Across all ancient collective tales of humankind, one theme revealed itself again and again.

This universal theme was the hero’s journey.

In short, the presence of that passage in communications among peoples unconnected to one another demonstrated that the theme reflects a nearly universal human experience.

The hero’s journey is “tattooed on our psyches” and is like

“a pre-programmed script engraved on my heart and yours

as a….yet-to-be-lived-out-drama.”

—Steven Pressfield, author

Campbell’s work has inspired many artists and writers, not just Pressfield.

The roots of Campbell’s teachings about the universal nature of the hero’s journey weaves throughout the Star Wars movie. There, you can see the arc of the hero’s passage played out in the technicolor lives of Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan, and Princess Leia.

Cinematic and oral accounts that contain the theme of the hero’s journey have a mythological sensibility. As in, they convey a tale in a way that “reaches profound truth.” —Christopher Vogler, author

It Can Upgrade Your Life!

“Thinking in mythic terms…keeps you from going crazy.”

—Steven Pressfield

Knowing universal human themes, like the hero’s journey, can boost mental health in two ways, Pressfield argues:

First, thinking in universal terms shows us we are not alone.

Perceiving an omnipresent pattern in our lives reminds us that struggles are the common byproduct of being human.

Others have traveled similar paths. We can take comfort in knowing that despite our shared heartaches, they made it to the other side, leaving clues of how we might too.

This message uplifts in R.E.M.’s song Everybody Hurts. Watch the music video here.

Second, thinking in universal terms shows us that we are not victims.

Without a universal blueprint, life’s eruption of crises, obstacles, and set-backs feel like hell-on-earth, according to Pressfield.

It would doom us to discouragement, meaning that life was ruled only by “randomness and happenstance, animal appetites, fear, risk aversion, habit, even plain old evil.”

The Blueprint Framework of the “Hero’s Journey”:

1. The hero encounters a problem, a crisis, or a realization that they are “stuck” in a life.
2. This calls the hero to live differently or to some adventure. Typically the hero resists this call, at least initially.
3. “Taking the Call” leads the hero to wander from home, or from their regular life. (Think: Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.)
4. Along the way, the hero will encounter numerous trials; they are likely to suffer significantly with feelings of being lost. But the hero gains inner steadiness, resolve, and practical skills through these ordeals.
5. Outlandish characters enter the hero’s life, and the hero experiences great wonder along the way. (Think: Scarecrow, Witches and a Cowardly Lion)
6. Aid comes to the hero in the most unexpected ways, often from sources they never even knew existed. These sources may be wellsprings from within. (Think: Dorothy discovering she’d had the power within herself to return home to Kansas all the time.)
7. Eventually, the hero returns home but in a much different emotional, spiritual, and even physical presence.
8. Once home, the hero shares what they’ve learned. Then, they focus on being of service and value to others.

(Adapted from Steven Pressfield)

In summary, cinema contains specific kinds of narratives that can inspire us to transform our lives.

We can identify with the trials they portray on the big screen. They can remind us to look to the blueprint of the hero’s journey when we are in the midst of problems. The hero’s passage can show us where we are on the path and remind us that many other souls traveled similar paths. 

However, information in our world rushes at us at great speed and volume.

Honestly, how many times have you watched movies, listened to songs, or read books that uplifted? And yet the embedded lessons floated out of the mind, replaced by some other information, before the potential they held for us was realized?

Let’s slow down a bit and go deeper. 

Join me next week for Part Two of this topic to do just that.

We will discuss how we are each potential heroes in our own everyday lives. And, we will view the hero’s journey presented in the REM video referenced above. You can watch that here.

Subscribe to my blog to make sure you receive Part Two!

Disclaimer: Although the content here relates to well-being, it does not constitute the practice of psychology and is not designed to be a replacement for receiving professional mental health advice or services. Although medical and health information may be presented, it does not constitute medical advice and is not a substitute for proper medical advice or care. The information is designed solely to be educational for those who might be interested in the subject matter. Use this information as you see fit, and at your own risk. We recommend consulting a qualified mental health professional to better understand the most appropriate actions for the reader to take for their own unique circumstances, as appropriate.