This was an emotionally-charged movie, which depicted Donald Sutherland's character being very sick and the responses of others around him to his situation. (See Question 6.) So, as often occurs with heavy movies, it was an effort and it took us a while to formulate questions about the themes in the movie. Nevertheless, when we completed that and finally got around to the discussion section of the evening, we began a genuinely delightful examination of the ways we take (or don't take) responsibility for parts of our lives (Questions 2, 3, 4 and 5), and how we might choose to change that, or not (Question 1).
Specifically, we talked about sometimes being terrified when we thought about asking people out on dates, and the hilarious yet intimidating fantasies we've constructed in our heads about what will happen if we actually do get interested in someone and let them know it. "It's gonna be horrible; they'll find out how who we really are!!!" "Obviously, they wouldn't be interested in me!" "I just need to steel myself for the inevitable rejection!"
OK, so maybe it doesn't sound like that much fun when you read about it, but believe me, we all cracked up as we talked about it. Maybe you had to be here... (And speaking of that, why weren't you???)
(This video was reviewed by Bob McGarey)
Feel free to come and share your own personal insights sometime; the Saturday Night Video and Discussions here in Austin, Texas are a lot of fun and fascinating. (They're free, too.) Here are the questions the group came up with, based on the personal growth themes in the movie: