“I’m going to the cinema by myself.”
Whenever that sentence is uttered, the usual reactions you get from people range from concern for your well-being to judgment for you and your life choices.
To those folks who immediately declare that as “sad” and something only “weirdos” do, I’m going to hit you with something that needs to be said in a loud voice: going to the cinema alone is not weird at all and everyone should try it some time.
Pure, unadulterated bliss.
It’s easy to see why solo cinema trips can be viewed as an odd act reserved only for the elderly and forgotten folk of society. Watching movies is generally viewed as a social activity you do with a group of friends and random strangers, and the thought of going by yourself is akin to Cersei’s walk of atonement in Game Of Thrones while all the cinema employees silently judge you while chanting “shame!” over and over.
I get it, I really do. Hell, I was on that bandwagon for a time. But once I swallowed any dumb insecurity I had and decided to just go alone to the cinema, it was the best movie-going decision I ever made.
Perfectly positioned seats were much easier to find, I didn’t have to share snacks with anyone, and not being constrained to night-only movie sessions because of someone’s schedule was incredibly liberating. Why walk out of the cinema at 11pm at night when you can finish watching a movie by 3pm and still have time left in the day?
In fact, the only regret I had was choosing to watch Thor as my first solo movie-going experience because that film was goddamn awful.
Shhhhhhh.
Beyond the practical upsides of going to the cinema alone, I found that the experience was beneficial to my mental health.
Being an introvert, sitting in a dark theatre with only myself and two hours of cinematic entertainment for company was pure bliss and the perfect use of what “alone time” I have. There was no pressure to socialise and no unspoken obligation to share my thoughts about the film with whoever I just watched it with.
The cinema is a place that allows me to unwind and disconnect from the realities and anxieties of real-life while surrendering myself to belief-suspending cinematic goodness that requires little to no brain usage.
So to all those who look down upon the solo movie-going experience, I suggest you try it at least once because it is one of the best pleasures in life and everyone should do it more often.