CEMETERY JUNCTION

Early in the morning factory whistle blows 

Man rises from bed and puts on his clothes 

Man takes his lunch

 Walks out in the morning light

 It's the working, the working, just the working life

-Bruce Springsteen  'FACTORY' 

This film really sparks something in me. People can tell you a million times that you only live once, but you never know when it's actually going to HIT you. Luckily, we have films. Hundreds of them can flash by our eyes and leave little impact, but eventually one will -- and it'll strike you to your core. 

I just watched 'Cemetery Junction' for the third time. I loved it more on this viewing then the previous times. When you watch a film the first time, you find out what it's about, you follow the story. The subsequent times, you only watch when you're in the right mood for it. And something, somewhere in me, told me to watch it again tonight. I guess I needed it. 

I watched 'Annie Hall' earlier today - and it was okay. Don't get me wrong, I think it's one of the greatest films ever, but on this particularly viewing, I didn't love it. Your favourite films are like the bands you love -- sometimes they just don't nail it, they have off nights. 

We live within the confines that society constructs for us. Somewhere it's drummed into us that our dreams aren't possible --- that somehow the only thing to do is stay in our comfort zones and gradually try and improve things. It's like when people ask what your plans are, or where you see yourself in five years; we end up confined to climbing ladders in jobs we loath, or we get to an age where we think we should find someone, settle down, and the biggest decisions we face should be when to change the wallpaper. These attitudes get drummed into you from everyone around you -- because so many people have dreams that fell apart, opportunities they never followed up. It's like everyone is sitting around scared, waiting for the day a golden opportunity will land on their laps. 

The country you live in is so small, and the world out there, so big and eventful! This is a film about having your eyes opened to the things and people around you that are limiting your worldview. The small minded friends, the oppressive bosses; 'Cemetery Junction' reminds you that it's all a bunch of bullshit. The world is a giant place, filled with possibilities. When you open yourself up to that, you never know where it might take you, and who you'll meet along the way. 

This film seemed to slip under the radar when it was released. I guess it's not the kind of movie people expect from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Anyway, I think it's a great film and it might just have changed my life a little.