Take a minute to think about this: When’s the last time you got together with at least one other person to discuss something you truly love? It could be anything: philosophy, music, politics (okay, let’s forget politics for now), movies, science, you name it. Let’s assume that you’re talking with people you trust. Although some in the group may disagree with your thoughts, no one is going to call you an idiot and walk out. There’s genuine respect and the willingness to consider different points of view. Maybe you find that you’ve got so much to talk about that time seems to move unbelievably fast. All of the above happened last night when I joined an online discussion of the neo-noir film After Dark, My Sweet (1990) with a group called the Noir Brats.
My friend J. organized the event, which was the Noir Brats’ third meeting but my first. As we did in The Great Movies virtual movie discussion group I used to run at the library with my good friend Darnice (you can find some of those discussions here), participants watch a movie at their leisure announced a few weeks in advance, then get together online to discuss it. I particularly enjoyed last night’s discussion because all the members of the Noir Brats were also former participants of our library movie discussion group. (By the way, that group is still meeting with Darnice. You can find out more about joining them for their next discussion here.)
J. had some great questions about After Dark, My Sweet to get us started, but, like all good discussions, ours was organic, covering J.’s questions but also going in directions that felt natural and welcoming. Everyone had a voice and an opportunity to express themselves without judgment. It was fun, informative, and the time simply flew.
These types of discussions need to happen more. Regardless of the topic, people should get together and talk about their passions. Again, these conversations aren’t limited to books, movies, and music (the things I’m most passionate about). You can talk about gardening, engine repair, fashions of the 1980s, wine, cat videos, sports, astrophysics, duck herding, cheese rolling, collecting ceramic kangaroos, ANYTHING!
Find someone who shares your passion(s) and meet. Maybe you can’t find someone in your area. One of the members of the Noir Brats lives less than 12 miles away from me. Another is in a different country. I know most of us have agonized through such a long parade of Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams sessions that we’d scream if we had to endure just one more. But if that’s where the people are that share your passions, be thankful we have a way to gather.
So get together, even if it’s just with one other person over coffee or a dozen (or more) folks on Zoom. If you discover that one group isn’t a good fit for you, find another. Or start one. In the midst of a crazy world that seems to be coming apart at the seams, we must remember there are good things to celebrate and people to help us celebrate them.
Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading. More soon, so stay tuned.
Hi Andy, funny you mentioned this now, I met with my Noir group last night. We have called ourselves Noir Nerds, Sundays Are For Noir (recently changed to Thursdays) and Noir Hour. It's just three of us and we were close friends in the 90's in LA, we reconnected over love of the Dodgers and found we all had a love for this genre, too. Since I live in Washington now and they are both still in (different parts of) LA, we also meet on Zoom. We usually use Eddie Muller's intro and outros on YouTube to help our discussion. Last night was my pick and it was my first watch of The Crimson Kimono, which I was really puzzled by - (this is a noir?) - anyway you are right, these are great, great ways to connect and enjoy! BTW 357 Police Python was great!
That was SO much fun!
Here's hoping even more folks will want to join us in August, after reading your posting today.
It's thrilling to find others who share your interests and are eager to talk about them.