That Vampire Movie

Dear Reader,

Were you ever a fan of the Twilight series? Whether you loved it or you hated it, I’m sure (if you are in the U.S.) you have at least heard of it. Last night my boyfriend surprised me by asking if I wanted to watch the first Twilight movie with him. He has never expressed interest in anything like Twilight before, so I asked him if he was serious. He then asked if Twilight was the movie about vampires. I confirmed and he repeated his request to watch the movie.

My boyfriend was totally oblivious to the Twilight craze that swept through the U.S. about a decade ago. He did not know about the sparkly-skinned Cullen clan, the team Edward vs. team Jacob debate, or even about the critiques on Kristin Stewart’s acting. I, on the other hand, was just starting high school when the first Twilight movie came out and am all too familiar with the books, movies, and popular culture surrounding the series. It was an interesting experience for me to watch the Twilight movie again.

I am not really the type to re-watch movies. There are only a small handful of movies that I have viewed more than once in my adult life. Watching the Twilight movie was strange, because I feel like I was watching both with my teenage and adult minds. Some scenes seemed new to me like I was watching them for the first time. However, whenever there was a scene that I remembered, it was almost as if my brain was processing it in the same way that I did as a teenager. I was very emotional as a teenager in a way I no longer am. When I was younger, there were very many books that evoked strong feelings within me. If something sad happened, I would feel hopeless. If something amazing happened, I would feel light. If a beloved book or series came to an end, well, I would need a few days to recover. While I was watching Twilight, I felt physical emotional reactions, as if the moving pictures excited my now-dormant teenage brain.

I must say that it was very nice to watch this movie with my boyfriend. His ignorance for Twilight made me feel like I was watching the movie with a child. He came in without any biases and genuinely wanted to understand the plot – it was sweet! Watching this film again has inspired me to dig up other movies from my teenage years. It can be fun to watch an old film with new eyes! I might have to wait to start my search though, because at the conclusion of our little Twilight viewing, my boyfriend eagerly asked if we could set aside a time to watch the sequel “New Moon.” 😊

Love,

Raven