Time Capsule Tickets

On the way home from the drive-in, the other night, me and my best friend chatted about some of our favorite movie-going experiences. From midnight movie premieres, to movie hopping as teenagers, we fell into nostalgic reflection. 

Later that same night, I stayed up with a rolodex of my own movie memories, while flipping through a box of hoarded movie stubs. Movie trips from high school, college, and before the pandemic. Endless memories punctuated by movie trailers and closing credits. 

In today’s digital age, my ticket stubs feel especially precious to me. They’re tethered to hours I’ve spent sitting closely with others, in the darkness of theaters. And over the course of my life, the act of choosing to spend quality time in movie theaters has nurtured my relationships.

In fact, movie trips have been central to my friendship with my best friend. They’ve always been our favorite thing to do together. And sitting side-by-side during a film offers an opportunity to experience each other’s full-range of emotions. It can be vulnerable and intimate. Going through each movie stub, I thought about how vulnerability can range from jump scares and dread during horror movies, ugly crying during heart-breaking drama scenes, to letting laughter fill every space between the walls of an auditorium while watching a comedy. It’s beautiful to witness and experience.

And I love how the silence between us in the theater turns to lively chats during our walk to the car and post-movie drives. We get into long talks about everything movies bring up for us. We’ll go on tangents about themes, share our opinions, and get into disagreements with each other. Sometimes we’ll drive around aimlessly into the night with only the freeway lights keeping us company, just to keep our talks going. Other times these talks carry into longer discussions over hoppy beers or fries at in-n-out. It’s because of our time together in theaters we’ve become closer.

Some people might not think of watching a movie as quality time, or even see going to the movies as a complete waste of time. But I disagree. These days, how often can people slow down to enjoy things and spend time relaxing with their friends in person? How often do they even want to? Between the busyness of life, the convenience of streaming services and everyone being a quick text, DM, comment, and Zoom call away, it feels rare choosing to simply sit beside a friend in silence to enjoy a film for a couple of hours. I think it’s sacred.

The movie theater experience, like time, and most relationships, is fleeting. These tickets transport me with immense gratitude to those ephemeral moments. In holding my stubs, examining the rips and sometimes faded ink, I look at the dates and locations, and I’m brought back to different moments, different chapters with different people throughout my life and I feel like I’m still there with them.

Family members, strangers, but mostly, friends. I hear their gentle gasps and giggles, boisterous laughter, and I can even see the quiet tears that have disappeared down different cheeks. Every ticket carries these shared experiences. My own personal time capsules held in the palms of my hands. 

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Hi friend! Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to read Time Capsule Tickets. If anything resonated with you, leave me a comment and let me know! I’d love to hear what’s on your mind.