I was popping bubble wrap today and it made me think about art. About how great art changes the way you see the world.
Amelie (one of my favourites) changed the way I think about people who secretly pop bubble wrap. In the movie, almost every character has their "likes" and "dislikes" presented just before they enter the storyline. A neighbour who plays a mean trick on Amelie as a little girl only likes one thing: "popping bubble wrap". From memory, there is short scene where the man sits alone at his diningroom table, his shifty eyes scanning the empty room as the camera pans down to his hands which are vigorously popping a sheet of bubble wrap.
That short scene about a minor character, made me giggle to myself as I sat at my desk surreptitiously popping away. I remembered Amelie, and suddenly I associated the act with repression and depravity. Suddenly I wondered if my popping may be something I might like to bring up in consultation with a therapist?
Great art does this! Great art finds and presents connections that, if executed cleverly, make you smile (or sigh) with recognition.
NB. The paintings above are by Michael Sowa
, one of which hangs above Amelie's Bed.
, one of which hangs above Amelie's Bed. What movie, painting, book, character changed your perception of something you do?
