The Waiting Room

As I usually do on weekend evenings when I stay in (which is 99.9% of weekend evenings), I watch a movie on demand from my cable carrier. Last night's choices were The Darjeeling Limited, Eastern Promises, Superheroes, and The Waiting Room. And my choice, more often than I care to admit leans toward a love story. From the preview The Waiting Room seemed to be a love at first sight type of movie and I'm always curious to see how that works out. The romantic in me has not completely ruled out the possibility. Spoiler alert from here on in: I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, the plot lines for the two main characters were interesting and very real, however the plot involving the two of them together was practically non-existent. The two meet by chance in the waiting room of a train station, exchange only niceties, yet can't get each other out of their minds. Life goes on and at the very end of the movie, they meet again in the same place, and walk off holding hands. Even the most hopelessly romantic cannot be hopeful in this situation. Could we have at least a conversation? A connection, something they have in common? During the movie we learn that the man is not ready for kids, meanwhile the woman has one. And we're supposed to believe things will work out in the end? Another crazy thing that bugged me was that the man's live-in girlfriend was painting and redecorating their apartment. When they split up, he stayed in the apartment! I know that's petty, but I thought she should have kicked him out. Maybe I was looking for more of the falling in love story, no, that's exactly what I was looking for. Like I said, I did enjoy the movie overall, but I would have liked more meat in their story.

The moral of the story is that the movie started me thinking about my own life and love. Have I ever met someone and instantly known that it was love at first sight? Hell no. But have I known on first 'meeting', that this encounter might lead to something else? Yes. I've only ever thought I was in love twice, and now after the fact I question if it really was love. Does love only count when you're in the midst of it? For as long as I've lived this life, I'm still rather clueless when it comes to matters of the heart. Not my own heart, I know that one pretty well, but I am not as good at reading other people's. I truly believe love and joy are two of our primary purposes as human beings, but I question whether that love is meant to be of the romantic kind. I'm not looking for love nor am I lacking for love in my life, but the mystery is still out there. What if? When? Where? Why? and perhaps most mysteriously, Who?

Tonight I will stay away from those types of movies ;)