Alright, I Cry, OK?

I am a man of the 21st century, and of the Aquarian age. So, what, you ask?  So….I am one of the emotionally available men who sometimes cries at movies. Well, a lot of the time…OK, dammit, most of the time. There, are you happy, you got me to publically admit that I bawl like a freakin’ baby!

In this screwed-up society we live in, it is frowned upon and considered a weakness in men for them to express their emotions unless it is a “manly” emotion such as anger. Violence is built in to the fabric of our society. Although, in my lifetime I have thankfully seen many of the idiotic ways of society begin to change for the better, there is still so very far to go. The emotional availability which allows a man to cry at movies (or anytime) is actually a strength, not a weakness. Many of us were taught as children that men should not show their emotions in public, or ever.  I am afraid that an inability to share their feelings and emotions has damaged more than a few marriages.

Unfortunately, many men, and some women, still have the emotional IQ of a peanut!

When I cry at movies, it is NOT usually the tragic parts that get to me. I cry when I see great beauty expressed on film. That beauty can come in many forms like nobility, honor, extreme vulnerability, or yes, even sadness. I will discuss a few of the movies that really do it for me.

First, “Tears of the Sun”, where Lt. A.K. Waters (Bruce Willis), at the end of the movie, is being thanked by a Nigerian woman for ignoring his orders, and instead saves a group of civilian people from “ethnic cleansing”, including the young king who is the true heir to the role being stolen by political power-seekers. The beauty of choosing right over wrong, at extreme personal cost, is something that makes my heart cheer for joy, and my eyes melt like the wicked witch in the “Wizard of Oz” (another movie which also makes me cry).

Then there is the movie, “Meet Joe Black” (spoiler alert!). Bill Parrish (Anthony Hopkins), a rich and successful businessman, finds that he is going to die at the end of his 65th birthday party, and he is thinking about what his life, friends, and family have meant to him. Unlike many of the greedy and self-absorbed rich bastards, he has held on to his high standard, and kept his great honor. Towards the end of the movie, his daughter, excellently played by Claire Forlani, realizes that she is about to lose her father forever. Even though nothing about death is ever said between them, the daughter gives her father an incredibly fond farewell. The beauty of the immense love and respect between father and daughter is so compelling and heartwrenching that any sensitive person will be brought to tears.

And who can NOT cry during the magnificent “The Lord of the Rings” movies. The first movie, ” The Fellowship of the Ring”, where Sam risks drowning rather than being separated from his Frodo, and gives a little speech about not being forced to abandon Frodo after giving his word to watch over him and stay by his side, exhibits the beauty of loyalty and friendship. This is just one of several places in the trilogy of movies where I break down, and can no longer hold back the torrent of emotional tears.

The best place comes at the end of “The Return of the King”. The beauty of humility meets the beauty of personal courage and sacrifice in a combination which tears my heart wide open. It is the point at which Aragorn, the newly crowned king, humbles himself to bow down to the courage, honor, and self-sacrifice of the common little Hobbits, which makes all the difference in the horrendous fight between….?……you guessed it, good and evil, again, always. I can’t even write about this part without crying, which is currently wetting my keyboard.

Yes, it is the beauty of nobility, honor, sacrifice, and love which bring me to tears in very many movies. If anyone wants to brand me as being weak because of that, well fuck’em. At least I am capable of expressing MY feelings, and I am not emotionally repressed or unavailable. So there you have it, my confession of the day.