Emotions
and
Feelings

Part of being human is to feel emotion. Many individuals are uncomfortable with this fact and have a hard time dealing with emotions, be they their own or others. For some the problem is that they can’t express, much less even understand, what they feel. For others the problem is not the emotions themselves but how they let out their feelings and the choices they make when they are experiencing feelings. Still others are threatened by what others are feeling, especially if another is angry at them.

Psychologists know that all emotions ---fear, anger, sadness, guilt, joy, love, disgust--- are essential for adaptive living. For example, we could not survive if we did not have the capacity to feel fear. Fear at times keeps us safe. But fear can also keep us from doing something important that is not really dangerous but we fear nonetheless. The same problem can happen with every emotion. A person can feel guilty for doing something that is not bad. Another can do something or say something in anger that is way out of proportion to the initial cause of the anger. One can feel pleasure or joy in something that is hurtful humiliating, or self-defeating. We can feel unwarranted disgust for someone. And of course many can feel strong love for others who are not wise or even safe to love.

Certain emotions can become a chronic burden. There are people whose whole lives are ruled by constant fear. There are also people who have become embittered and are always angry. Some are burdened with sadness even though the original cause of that sadness happened a long time ago. And there are those whose disgust for others knows no bounds.

Movies are especially effective at dealing with feelings and emotional issues. Not only can movies display the impact and the power of every emotion that there is, movies can cause the viewer to feel the emotion they are witnessing on the screen.

The films listed below deal with many of the various issues that involve emotions and feelings.

The Films

SHADOWLAND What can a man, like the writer C. S. Lewis, who was so wise and intellectual, learn about life? That life is much richer when there is someone to truly love and to love means being vulnerable to loss and hurt. This is the story of how Lewis, as a middle-aged man, discovered his own emotions and the importance of feelings. Like so many he believed that being mature was to be beyond these. Lewis had actually written about feelings before the events portrayed in this film occurred, but it is one thing to intellectualize about feelings, quite another to actually experience them. Do you find that it is hard to accept your own emotions and do you look at yourself (and maybe others) as being inferior because you can't control what you feel?
HBO Savoy Video.
Rated PG by MPAA.

CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD People who are angry all the time accomplish something that they and others around them often don't see: They keep people away. Oh, it's hard to ignore them but how close does anyone get to someone who keeps up a wall of hostile emotion. This movie is about one "angry" woman and what's behind her wall. 1986.
Paramount Pictures.
Rated R by M.P.A.A.



© Touchstone Pictures.  All Rights Reserved.

WHAT ABOUT BOB? Some people have a hard time admitting to anyone, including themselves, that they are angry. Even when confronted with something that would give cause for anyone to be upset, they deny that they are angry and attempt to behave as if they are unflustered and able to behave rationally. The trouble is that their suppressed anger keeps building until it reaches a point where it can no longer be denied or contained. That’s when people are at risk of doing something really inappropriate. Dr Leo Marvin is such a person. This becomes clear as he attempts to deal with Bob Wiley, a very insecure and clingy patient, who shows up at Dr Marvin’s vacation retreat. While this is a delightful comedy with Marvin and Wiley’s portrayals being a bit exaggerated, there is something very honest about how a person can become enmeshed in another’s craziness because they refuse to listen to their own feelings and set firm limits. What would have happened if Dr Marvin told Bob, when he first shows up at his vacation, "You’re darn right I’m angry and if you cannot respect my boundaries, then you are going to have to find another therapist."
Buena Vista Home Video
Rated PG by M.P.A.A.

HONEYMOON IN VEGAS Sometimes it’s almost amazing how we can walk into a clearly marked trench and after falling in, keep digging the hole dipper. Under stress the best of us can engage in some incredibly self-defeating behaviors. This is basically what Honeymoon in Vegas is about. Jack Singer, because of his trepidation of getting married, not only nearly looses his love, Betsy, but gets into a card game in which he makes a ridiculous wager. In his attempt to redeem himself with Betsy, he finally succeeds in overcoming some pretty solid obstacles. In doing this he comes to realize how important Betsy is to him and how he must finally overcome an emotional mental block that has caused him distress and the near loss of Betsy. 1992.
Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment
Rated PG-13 by M.P.A.A.



© Hollywood Pictures.  All Rights Reserved.

QUIZ SHOW How can an intelligent, basically decent, and thoughtful person do something that is dishonest or deceitful? While there can be different answers, depending on the person and the situation, often the reason is that the person is motivated by some emotion. A feeling such as fear, anger, lust, curiosity, pride or desire for recognition can cause a temporary interference with that part of the mind that would normally hold the person back from doing something inappropriate. This is basically what happens to Charles Van Doren in the movie. He allows himself to be talked into participating in a rigged television quiz show. As you watch this film put yourself in his situation and imagine how you would have behaved. Be honest with yourself. Also ask yourself how you would have reacted as it became more and more likely that the truth would come out.
Buena Vista Home Video. 1994
Rated PG-13 by MPAA.

See Also:

Good Will Hunting


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