What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet
Romeo and Juliet
Shakespeare.
I often wonder where the urge to express my opinion about a film comes from.
Why do I want to share my opinion about something I didn’t make? How dare I criticize positively or negatively something I had no part in making?
Why do I want to say anything about a film?
Why would anywhere care?
It’s already quite difficult to express how one feels, let alone express a well-formed opinion about something. How do you translate what’s in your mind in a structured, cohesive, interesting and useful way? It’s harder than it seems.
When do you find the time to do this review?
On top of all this, I express myself in English which is not my mother tongue. French is my mother tongue even though my mother’s mother tongue is actually English. There we go, I feel I’m already having a hard time expressing myself, going off in irrelevant tangents. I grew up in France in the French-speaking educational system. So my mother tongue, the one I am most comfortable with is French. Since you are reading this in English, you can tell I’m also quite good in English but I would say I’m a bit slower and clumsier in English than in French.
And, how do you keep it all concise?
The urge is in me every time I watch a movie, particularly if I felt strongly about the film.
This urge is particularly strong when the film touched me deeply.
Sharing my opinion is a way of sharing a part of myself and connecting to others. In a way, my opinion reflects my tastes, my views, my personality. People can react, they can agree, disagree, ignore, not read, not listen. But something happens and that connection is ultimately what I feel I seek in writing these reviews. Granted, I write them for myself too but I rarely go back and read my reviews.
Ultimately, sharing opinions a human need. It’s communication on a grander scale. Keeps us alive and busy.