So here's something I thought I should share since it left me completely rattled, and not just because it showed me the depths of human insensibility and obtuseness, but it made clear with what tenacity ignorant people cling to their bewildered state. Last Friday night I made my way up to the town of Ojai (which is not pronounced like a murdering ex-football player who can't put on his gloves, but more like 'ohay') for a screening at the Ojai Film Festival. The venue was small, the audience smaller, and the screening went well, so I bounded up to the stage for my Q&A with optimism and confidence. Having done a few of those, I felt ready for pretty much any question, and answered the reasonable ones with what I consider aplomb and maybe even hints of wit, but just as the session wound down, one more hand shot up. "This is not really a question, more of a comment" said the lady with the red face. It looked like she was about to explode in her seat. "Alright, last one" I thought, smiling, ready for an unexpected observation, or maybe even a compliment? Well, it was unexpected. "You had me until the end..." red-faced lady said "... but then it turned into a portrayal of women as victims..." I think my smile froze on my face when she kept going on. What the fuck is she talking about? "... and it just seems like the ultimate male fantasy what you did there." Red-faced woman ended saying. And I realized she looked like boiled lobster because she was raving mad. At me! I felt like somebody just hit me. How can anybody mis-read the film this much? How is it possible for two human beings to be so utterly, diametrically opposed? Did she even watch the film? Without going into plot details, I explained how through Elise's actions in the film she's actually anything but the victim, and all power and decision-making lie with her. Nope, red-faced woman wouldn't have none of it. She had made up her little mind and stuck with it. The rest of the audience came to my defense with the exception of one meek man who said I pushed the envelope with that one, 'buddy'. No, I didn't push any envelope. Buddy. Only if you read into the film what's not there, and add to that in a fit of creative misinterpretation what you think you saw, or your own skewed view of the world, then yeah, maybe. But then it's not me who's pushing any envelope, but you yourself. Oh man, I think I had to get that off my chest. And one last thing, red-faced lady: the ultimate male fantasy, at least in my case, involves a lot more nudity. I'm just saying...
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