Call it peer pressure, or call it not having a date on a Monday night, I decided to do the unthinkable. I mean, this is me, the girl who likes to do nothing alone. The girl who likes to have someone in the house with me when I want to be alone.
I have had many conversations with people lately about the merits of seeing a film by yourself. These self-confessed movie buffs say that there is nothing better than watching a movie alone when you have a few spare hours to kill.
So I decided that it was now or never. In preparation of this massive endurance {of aloneness} feat, I decided to see if i could watch a movie all by myself in the comfort of my sweet little living room. I got about halfway through before I tried to lure unsuspecting flatmate #1 in to watch the remainder of the film with me. I even walked up 2 flights of stairs to try to further my cause. Denied. So I took my lonely little self back to the living room to try and watch the end. I didn't finish the movie. I decided to go and chat to flatmate #2 who had just walked in the door.
Well, was I up for the challenge of going to the cinema alone? Who knew! I did comfort myself with the knowledge that at any time, if I felt too uncomfortable, I could walk out and be safe again.
Enter: Amy into cinema complex.
As I bought my ticket and headed up the escalator of doom to my very lonely evening I wondered if the ticket man felt sorry for me. I glanced back to see if he was looking at me with sadness. He wasn't.
'Hmmmmmm' i thought, 'i haven't shocked anyone yet!'
There was still time for a stranger to look at me with pity, however to my amazement, no one even battered an eyelid at my solo expedition to the movies. I went to buy some water at the kiosk {narrowly stopping short of buying two bottles to elude to the fact that I had a date} Even with the one bottle of water thing, no one even flinched in my direction.
I sat down in my seat. Once seated I payed extra special attention to my mobile phone. I looked at every email I had received since 1998 and went through every setting on my phone. I had distracted myself for about 6 minutes before realising that no one around me actually cared whether I was there alone or not.
A few other solo movie goers walked in and sat down. I didn't feel alone in this sea of happy couples and friends and families {I guess this is where I admit that I did in fact make friends with 3 people going into the cinema, but that's ok right?}
The movie started. I was still alive and actually quite calm. I watched the whole movie without drama. Who would have thought?
So, am I a fan of going to the movies alone? Not really.
Was it as bad as I envisioned it would be? Not really.
This experience has made me realise many things about going to the movies solo. Here are my tips for you:
1. Arrive fashionably late, preferably once the trailers have started. The awkward silence of arriving alone to an empty cinema is deafening.
2. Make sure that you can emotionally cope with the movie you are about to see. Remember that you do not have a shoulder to cry on or a hand to squeeze when it gets too gruesome or sad or intense. For me, i'm pretty sure it needs to be rated U and of the Disney variety.
3. Don't sit next to anyone to pretend that you are not alone {i witnessed this and the outcome was not good}
4. If you need to, tell surrounding film goers that you are critiquing this film for a column you are writing - hence the reason you are alone {i may or may not have done this}
5. Pretend to be texting or emailing a very important message. {This also works when alone anywhere in the world}
6. Don't ever go solo on opening night of a movie. Destined for immediate fail right there.
So there you have it folks, I faced my fear! Saying that, going solo may not be something I will choose to do often, but now I know that I can do it.
And now to address fear of aloneness number 2: Dining Alone.
On second thoughts, perhaps the movie thing was more than enough for this social little lady.
Much love & happy solo movie nights.
1. Arrive fashionably late, preferably once the trailers have started. The awkward silence of arriving alone to an empty cinema is deafening.
2. Make sure that you can emotionally cope with the movie you are about to see. Remember that you do not have a shoulder to cry on or a hand to squeeze when it gets too gruesome or sad or intense. For me, i'm pretty sure it needs to be rated U and of the Disney variety.
3. Don't sit next to anyone to pretend that you are not alone {i witnessed this and the outcome was not good}
4. If you need to, tell surrounding film goers that you are critiquing this film for a column you are writing - hence the reason you are alone {i may or may not have done this}
5. Pretend to be texting or emailing a very important message. {This also works when alone anywhere in the world}
6. Don't ever go solo on opening night of a movie. Destined for immediate fail right there.
So there you have it folks, I faced my fear! Saying that, going solo may not be something I will choose to do often, but now I know that I can do it.
And now to address fear of aloneness number 2: Dining Alone.
On second thoughts, perhaps the movie thing was more than enough for this social little lady.
Much love & happy solo movie nights.
See you at the cinema. Want to sit together? xx
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