So I usually just review books here. But because Begin Again is (unfortunately) only a movie I'm going to review it anyway because I completely fell in love with it. I saw this last night with my best friend as part of one of our all-day movie marathons. This was the third, and frankly, the best of the day.
The movie begins with Greta (Keira Knightley) performing an original song to a less than interested crowd and we see Dan (Mark Ruffalo) watching her at the end. The film then rewinds to show Dan's day and how A Step You Can't Take Back made that day a little better. The film does this in a few other moments, shifting back in time to show important memories. And each time, it's done exquisitely and with purpose. When finally we get the whole picture, all of the characters feel so real. I couldn't help falling in love with all of their flaws and vulnerabilities. Without giving too much away, I will just say that this story is about music, love, life, and what it means to begin again. In a song called Lost Stars, written by Knightley's character, there are really poignant lines. But I think my favorite has to be "are we all lost stars trying to light up the dark?"
This line just kind of speaks to the movie as a whole because in learning to begin again, we all must realize that we're kind of lost and that to move forward will require some kind of inner strength; an inner light to get us through. And I think we all sort of secretly hope that we might light up the dark with what we choose to do in life; whether it be pursuing dreams, falling in love, or just being happy with who we are. I think it's a wonderful idea. There was a moment in the movie when I leaned over to my best friend and said, hey, I was there last summer. And I remembered this truly amazing moment from my summer in New York City where I just kind of sat on a bench in Washington Square Park listening to music, watching the sun slip away, and writing. And all at once I felt homesick. It's what they call hiraeth (HEER-eyeth). It's a "homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past."
Of course it's foolish to think I can never return to NYC. But the place I missed right then and there had everything to do with the person I was at that time in my life, the people around me, the song that played, and the words that filled my notebook. I remember the way it smelled like summer and rain and cigarette smoke and trees and possibilities. I think that's what I remember the most, the smell of possibility. I think it's a palpable feeling when you're on those city streets with so many people and so many ideas. And I think it has something to do with the way rain water pools on the sidewalk, the way the sun fights to find its way to your face, the way people will just sing in the street because they have a song. This is what I still miss sometimes. The fact that this movie drew so many feelings from me is incredible. I hope all of you make time to see this movie because it's fantastic. But more than that, I hope all of you invisible readers have a place that lives in your memories, a place that just thinking about makes your chest tight and your heart race because you miss it. And I hope that you will try to light up the dark with your lives. Be brave. Live. Love. Listen to a song two hundred times in a row if that's what you need. Remember. Please, please remember. And hold on to the beautiful moments in life. And if you want to learn how to begin again, simply think about where you want to go, who you want to be, and just start over. It will probably (okay, definitely) be hard but it will be worth it.
xoxo
K.K.