Brokeback Mountain - hit home on several levels. wasn't expecting that. left the movie theater feeling depressed and numb both times.

Well, I guess I felt the same way after seeing Brokeback Mountain as well. It was really the beginning of my evolution. Tore me apart.

I actually went and saw Brokeback Mtn 5 times and everytime left me with such an empty, depressed feeling. I related to it so much having grown up in that era, on a farm in small town Texas. I have bought the movie, but now won't watch it as I have to be in a really different type of mood to see it. Anyway, just thought I would put my 2 cents in.

Brokeback Mountain had just come out at the theaters at a time when I was trying to decide what to do with my life as well as my struggling straight relationship. I knew the premise of the movie, but couldn't bring myself to watch it. Instead I read a complete spoiler review of the movie. The review was well written by someone who was sensitive and respectful of the subject. Just reading the synopsis in its story-telling form, made me cave in. It reminded me of my own life in many ways and I knew I would never be able to watch it until after I made a few decisions of my own. As I said before, I don't usually react emotionally to most films, but in this case all I had to do was see either Heath Ledger or Jake Gyllenhaal to become emotionally overwhelmed. At the time, I would actually go into the bathroom at work or home to cry. It's another story (see my unfinished blog sometime)... but I knew what I had to do, but didn't know if I could survive jumping off that emotional cliff.
I'm not sure why this movie "Ciao" effected me the way it did. Maybe it was residual emotional response, or maybe the stresses of moving, or maybe a repressed longing for something not done... or unfinished. Who knows?

Ciao was very emotional for me as well...

Being a tragedy (like Brokeback), It unfolds slowly and you keep hoping for the best as you come to know the circumstances of the guy who dies...and his friends. Instead of wrapping things up with a neat little bow...it leaves all the pain raw. I think that's what the movie was about...and I relate a lot to the scenario of leaving things unsaid or undone. That's why I found it moving.

...now go see something funny...hope you can rest.

I watched the movie last night and cried like the baby that I am. A very well done movie. It moved me in so many places and brought back memories of very special relationships with friends that I have shared. Its one that I will watch again. One question if anyone can answer, at the very end it said "unauthorized" ..... meaning what?

Haven't seen "Ciao," but I definitely identify with the reaction to "Brokeback Mountain." I read much more often than I watch movies, and i have had quite powerful emotional responses to some books, up to and including being depressed, angry, empty, etc. My personal theory is that good stories (short stories, novels, films, etc.) are universal in the sense that they tap into the most fundamental aspects of the human experience. Because of that, they strike chords deep within us, and these types of emotional reactions are normal and healthy. They demonstrate that you haven't been completely desensitized by our culture and social "norms," that in spite of the world's attempts to rob you of your humanity, you have remained beautifully, unapologetically human.

Well said, Breach. I, too, have been moved to tears by certain books, especially Conroy's "Beach Music." So beautifully written, touched so many human chords, so poignant.
Btw, I looked up Ciao on Rotten Tomatoes. Not many reviews, but most of them panned this movie There were 12 reviews and only 4 favorable. Most said it was "glacially" slow, or words to that effect, the acting was stilted, etc. For those who don't know, Rotten Tomatoes is a compilation, a digest of reviews from critics all over the country.

I haven't seen Ciao, but I've had similar reaction to movies and books. I try not to watch (again, that is).

I think it could be more than just the movie. It could be the right (or wrong) line at a time when it resonates, something we relate to too much to ignore at the time we hear or see it.

Brokeback had an effect on me as well. Although movies like "Steel Magnolias" is a melting pot of every emotion one can experience. I think movies that evoke emotion is a healthy thing as long as you understand your emotions. Im getting better at that...... rather than burying my feelings in a bottle of pills or a bottle of Absolute. I know when Ive been depressed...I need to cry it out of me....my keeping emotions pent up made me physically ill. I took Paxil for awhile and I couldnt handle the void of emotions it created. Good Luck to ya.

It has been a few days and hopefully you are feeling better. I think moving can leave you feeling sort of untethered if that makes sense. Maybe a better description is feeling a little lost. The characters in 'Ciao' were also feeling lost, and maybe that all that snuck up on you.
Similar things have happened certainly happened to me; most recently when I read the book "Code of Conduct." I've also been on anti-depressants for a long time. If my experience is any indication, you can also be inspired by a great movie, book or music. Do you have any favorites to lift you up?
I'm new here, but this seems like a very supportive group. You've got people in your corner!

I am doing better. Thanks for your support and input.
As I said, I'm usually not effected by films, but somewhere in there something struck a chord. I came out pretty late, so it's possible the "unrequited love" theme had something to do with it. It's easy for me to think about the missed opportunities of my life and get to feeling sorry for myself.
I regret many things I did (or didn't do) earlier in my life, but I know the past isn't a good place think about for very long. But sometimes thoughts that make me feel bad are very seductive. I fool myself into believing that if I live with the painful feelings long enough, or often enough, something will change. The film also focused on finality, and even though I've never worried about my age, it left me with some sense of urgency. Probably just anxiety though.

Regret is a wasted emotion, my friend. Not only does it drag you down and smother you, it's counterintuitive. All those mistakes, the things you did or didn't do, the missed opportunities--ALL of them--were necessary to create the man you are today.

Perhaps from a more practical perspective, how do you know, really KNOW, that any of those things were mistakes? I tend to think of it in terms of the Butterfly Effect. Even if it were possible to travel back in time and change a single decision that I feel was a mistake, I wouldn't. Why? Because if I change a single second of my life, if just once I turned right instead of left, EVERYTHING from that point on would be different, and different isn't always better.

Wishing you stillness and peace.