Why I stopped going to movie theaters, and how my darkened living room became the best theater of all

I watched a movie with the lights dimmed.

The latest Mission: Impossible. I sat next to my family in the living room and turned the lights way down.

I didn't mind the two-and-a-half-hour runtime.

That was a feeling I hadn't had in a long time.

It's been several years since I stopped watching movies in theaters. There were people checking their phones during the screening. People sleeping next to me. At some point, home became the only place where I could enjoy entertainment in peace.

But when you watch at home, you can choose everything at your own pace. The brightness of the lights, the volume, and when you watch it.

Sitting in a darkened living room, side-by-side with my family, facing a large screen. That is the perfect theater for me.

Tom Cruise is still running on screen even after passing the age of 60.

I think it's amazing. But what left a deeper impression on me was the night view of some city in Europe and the angle of the light streaming through the window.

While focusing on the story, I find myself picking up on those kinds of details. When I watch movies, I feel like my aesthetic sense—my sense of what kind of 'visuals' I like—becomes sharper.

There is always a scene where I think, 'I want to capture light like this.'

Movies are entertainment, but they are also a time to confirm what I 'like.'

After the room lights came back on, a lingering feeling remained.

Holding onto that lingering feeling, I returned to my room for the night. I believe that is the right way to end a night after watching a good movie.

The End

I run a personal website, a podcast, and a channel for background music for work.
・'Atelier of Boundaries -Annex-'
I provide music and words that add a quiet color to daily life, as well as 'seeds' that help with introspection, to create time for facing yourself.
Please feel free to take a look as a first step toward living more comfortably as yourself.

・Sleepy Radio 'Night Monologues'
If you want to step away from your busy days and return to your own pace at night before you sleep.
Please feel free to listen during your chill time before bed.
▼Streaming on Spotify

▼Streaming on Apple Podcast

▼Also available on YouTube

・Personal Website 'Atelier of Boundaries'
Gently draw a boundary from the noise of daily life, and on the other side of that noise, organize your thoughts and rest your heart.
I post essays that are a bit more substantial than what you find on note.