With a newborn, heightened emotions, and some unexpected downtime, Travis M. Andrews embarks on a bleary-eyed movie marathon. Watching with his daughter sleeping on his chest, he starts to find small epiphanies in the unlikeliest of films—from Final Destination to The Hustle. In this funny and tender essay, Andrews shows how welcoming a new life can quietly alter the way you see the world.
You learn about the power of headspace when watching something. If you are, say, rating every movie immediately upon completion, you may rate the experience with it more so than the actual quality of the film. This is how the genuinely funny but ultimately fine “Babes” (11/28, when sleep deprivation made everything 10x funnier) received the same distinguished four-star rating as the stunning “Tár” (11/30), which was just long enough to invite restlessly while waiting for that iconic closing shot. Maestro Lydia would be ashamed.
You learn that a lot of movies wouldn’t exist if the characters would just, like, talk to each other in Act 1. You realize you can use this fact to teach your daughter about the power of communication.
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