500 days of summer

500 Days of Summer is the last film of 2022 and the first of 2023 that I watched. Why did I choose it to be the last film of 2022? Well, I don't have a clue. It was between this and Studio Ghibli and I simply wasn't in the mood for a studio Ghibli so I chose 500 days of summer. And I don't regret choosing it. Disclaimer to people who haven't watched it yet: This article contains harmless spoilers that won't affect your movie experience, Also you can still hear tell my thoughts without watching the film, so please read fully. If you are into feel-good and light romance movies, then 500 Days of Summer is a delight you wouldn't wanna miss.

To me personally, it wasn't an emotional rollercoaster. I couldn't travel with the story, neither as Tom Hansen nor as Summer, but certain aspects or opinions were relatable. The emotions were kept at a constant magnitude throughout the film. The happiest and the saddest moments were venting almost similar feelings.

The story revolves around Tom Hansen, an architect turned greeting card writer, who feels that there could only be one soulmate for everyone in life and destiny brings them together. After meeting his boss's new assistant Summer, he feels she's the one destined for him. Although Summer gets intimate with Tom, she just wants their relationship to be casual and nothing serious. She doesn't want to put a label on their relationship. Her ultimate wish as she implies from the beginning is to be free. Once while they were, drunk she confesses how she feels that relationships are commitments and she doesn't want to be in one yet proceeds to hang out with tom. She again hints at the same while telling about her dream where she runs so fast that she flies like a superhuman. It is also told that Tom was one of the very few to be brought to her home and this intimacy misleads him into thinking she loves him. Another scene that I found interesting was when a guy tries to hit on Summer at a bar, Tom steps in and picks a fight. While he thinks he did it for Summer, she gets mad at him for doing that. This again shows her character not wanting to depend on someone else, even if they are a close one. Her whole character is built upon ideologies of freedom and independence, although the reason for that is not described, neither is required.

In the end, Summer getting married to someone else was not the kind of ending I had anticipated. after summer's wedding with another man, Tom and Summer meet for one last time where Tom says all his belief on destiny and true love were nonsense. Whereas Summer feels destiny found her and Tom was true about it all along. Summer marrying someone while her initial intents were to be free of commitments is puzzling. Why did she get intimate with Tom even when she knew it wasn't gonna work out? These were simply her choices. people change and their choices change. That is simply what it is. So what about Tom then? after Summer comes Autumn. The main reason I felt the story wasn't deep enough was that the rollercoaster had a peak, but without enough troughs, the ride wasn't much of a thrill. While the major emotions such as love, lust, pain, anger, and sadness were portrayed exceptionally, other important emotions such as guilt, remorse, and disgust weren't. I felt it is these emotions are the thrill that the ride lacked. This is where I liked Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind more than 500 days of summer.

The most inspirational scene for me was when Tom calls the greeting cards lies and quit his job as a greeting card writer. "Why do people buy these things? It's not 'cause they wanna say how they feel. People buy cards 'cause they can't say how they feel or they're afraid to. We provide the service that lets them off the hook." I have always wondered why was it so difficult to talk the mind. Why is it so hard to do something and say I did that because I wanted to. Why can't we just express ourself plainly? why do we need all sorts of drama to tell something simple as "I love you"? I envy the people who can express their heartfelt emotions without much struggle. And that's pretty much why I chose to write.

Conclusion? Watching 500 days of summer and writing about it was perhaps the best way for me to spend this new year's eve. If you've watched it, I would love to know if you felt the same way about this film. Do drop your opinions in the comments. 

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