I’m weird when it comes to movies and that is all down to the fact that most of the time movies spark nothing in me. Literally nothing. (Quite often I simply just fall asleep while watching them.) I also never understood people who, when asked about their favourite movie, struggle to name one and instead give you a list of them. No, never happened to me. But what makes it ever so weird is that sometimes, on a very rare occasion, out of blue, I fall head over heels in love with one. Completely and utterly. And when that rare thing takes place, there is nothing I can do about it. I google, I read and I reflect. I find myself thinking about it for days, weeks, and sometimes even months. That was the case when I sat down to see La La Land for the first time in 2016. I still think about that movie on a regular basis. I even remember the candy that I picked for it. I know, it’s weird. But what I’m trying to tell you, is that I got to experience that again about two months ago. It was a Saturday evening and as per usual, I didn’t have any expectations about the movie I was gonna see. I was even prepared for the usual follow-up conversation “How did you find it?”, “It was fine, nothing special.” But no. I absolutely loved it. And for that reason, I have to tell you about Orca.
Orca (2020) is a drama movie of Swedish production which follows people of different ages during the Covid pandemic. When all we had was the internet to connect to one another. (I know it hasn’t been long since we have finally got back to our somewhat normal lives, but don’t let that stop you just yet.) The plot itself is nothing complex; people live, people love and people grieve. It is however the emotional aspect of the movie that really catches you.
I think we all still remember how it felt to be away from our loved ones. How it felt to be alone. And how the distance often complicated the normally very simple things of life. Orca is full of emotions that most of us are familiar with and the way it depicts them in such an honest, yet very mundane way is simply beautiful. Confronted with something so relatable, there’s no way of pushing down the emotions you once felt in similar situations. It makes you vulnerable and reminded you of the power of emotions. And experiencing that can be a very empowering experience, even if it’s just through a movie.
Did the pandemic really teach us something about human interaction and relationships? That is what I found myself thinking about as I switched off the end credits of this movie. During the pandemic, I think it was a widely shared opinion that the worst thing that we as human beings could face would be the loss of contact with our closest people. Well, did our behaviour change after the experience we had? Did we start showing more appreciation towards the people we get to spend our days with? Personally, I found it almost scary to realise how quickly we tend to forget the lessons we are given. I don’t think too much about the fact that I can spend my afternoons at the local cafes with my friends again. I pretty much take it for granted. I was thankful for being reminded of it.
Now it might seem like it’s one of those movies that just makes you sad and cry, but that’s not true. It is also full of humor and funny scenes that really get you in the most humble way. All of that combined with a very talented cast, it really leaves nothing to complain about. That being said, whether you choose to watch Orca for the emotional rollercoaster or for pure entertainment (for which it also works perfectly), please give it a chance. All I can say is that it really took me by surprise and that doesn’t happen too often.