DRUMFELD FILM CLUB – Established with the intention of providing a social resource for Christine's depressives. In my experience, people with this condition tend to exacerbate their problems by endlessly talking about them. It occurred to me that they couldn't do this while watching a film. This expectation was immediately confounded. We've yet to enjoy a session in which I don't have to regularly “shoosh” people, a natural rebuke that's elicited tantrums and complaints. If someone doesn't know better than to talk while other people are trying to enjoy a movie, then it's reasonable to assume that he's committing other gaffes that might attract adverse comment and contribute to his feelings of alienation and worthlessness. Not pointing these out seems as irresponsible as allowing someone to drown rather than risk embarrassing him by drawing attention to the fact that he can't swim.

Nobody else seems bothered by these interruptions, in fact most of the Club's members are so involved with their own melodramas that they resent the distraction of fictional equivalents, particularly those lending perspective to their own problems. Adhering to my personal preference for films made prior to 1940, I restricted those to themes of crisis, disease or self-sacrifice. Unfortunately, these caused such consternation that had rotten fruit been at hand, I'm sure it would have been hurled toward the screen. “I'd like to see Thelma Has-Been deal with a real problem!” scoffed Sharon McCabe, as said actress, face rendered gaunt by make-up, wept over the bodies of her murdered children. When I responded that if Sharon were to suffer trauma on a similar scale, she'd have t-shirts made up to announce the fact, the session deteriorated into recrimination and tearfulness with Sharon, whose biggest problem, frankly, is an inability to control her temper, accusing me of being a “bossy Hitler.” Christine now sits in and has pretty much taken over, delegating the role of movie selection to the club members with the effect that my Wednesday evenings are taken up by goblins, androids and serial killers.

 

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