Film Forum.  A small theater I had previously heard many good things about, but had never before visited.

As I got off the train and walked towards the theater, I realized that I was on a familiar street, Houston Street.  I did not know Film Forum was located so close to my apartment and wondered why I had never seen any other films here before that chilly day in the beginning of November.

Walking into the theater, I will admit, I could not remember the title of the film I was seeing.  And I can assure you that if I did not know the title; I surely did not know what it was about.  I think this is the best way to see performances and films- blindly.  Sometimes researching them before can ruin their spontaneity.

I quickly came to realize that the film I was going to watch was entitled Strange Powers.  I instantly thought the movie was going to be some extremely eccentric film that the “yuppies” who lived in my neighborhood enjoyed.  I didn’t mind though; I enjoy observing what they categorize as entertaining. However, to my surprise the film was about a band, Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields.

The film informed viewers that Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields had been releasing music for over twenty years.  That is more than my entire lifetime.  At that moment I thought to myself, strange that I had never heard of them. Not only was it ironic that my thoughts had the word strange in them, but more ironic was that the next thing that came onto the screen, “To some they’re an iconic band…..to most, they’re completely unknown.”

Despite the fact that this documentary depicted a realm of reality of which I had no extreme interest, I still found many parts of the documentary intriguing.  For instance, this band managed to make music out of many household items.  Seeing this made me smile because of my memory of a musician I had the pleasure of working with two summers ago, William Catanzaro.  This musical genius would use anything given to him to make music including tissue boxes, pieces of broken paper, and eyeglass cases.  There is an element of pure genius in using things that are not made to be instruments as instruments that I admire.  In addition, Merritt’s stature is extremely interesting because of his witty statements and deep voice.  It is difficult to decipher whether he is being serious.

Even though the movie captured the attention of viewers, after learning some facts about the Magnetic Fields, I felt as though it was of no value to continue to watch the film.  It reminded me of watching a reality television show.  Viewers are inside of the lives of others, but are unsure of how this knowledge is going to benefit them in their own lives. Despite this, my introduction to Film Forum was delightful. More important than becoming aware of Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields, I became acquainted with a not-for-profit organization in my area whom displays a large variety of films which I will definitely get to know better in the future.