"I still believe in heroes."

On Sunday we went to a Presbyterian church and had the rest of the day free, so what do film students do with several hours to kill in Greece? Go to see a movie of course! We've been in Athens for five days and have more than explored all of the shops in the area so Jake, Sammy and I decided to see the Avengers. We'd wanted to see it for some time because it's been out longer here in Europe than the US. So we asked for directions to the theater and braved the metro by ourselves. Thankfully we didn't get lost, and when we weren't sure what street to exit on we simply followed the tweens who led us straight there. We figured out where to buy tickets, clarified multiple times (poor Village Cinemas info lady) that the movie was indeed in English, and got a cheap yet delicious dinner at the food mall. They had Taco Bell but I am a firm believer that TBell is gross in every country so I chose a Greek chain and pointed to a picture of what I wanted. It was a delicious sandwich but I have no idea what it was called so unfortunately it was a one time thing. Anyway the food is not the point of my story here. But it was a really good sandwich.

Back to the Avengers. It was awesome. Witty, action packed and just really entertaining. I saw lots of movies while I was in Guatemala but I forgot how much fun it is to see a movie in a different country. While we may not always think about movies theaters as a communal experience, it really is. You laugh together, cry together, gasp and jump together. Watching a movie with a big crowd can make a movie better than it actually is, or worse if you have a crazy old man yelling "die!" (Cabin in the Woods....there isn't enough time to get into the psychological analysis that experience requires) But whether the crowd is good or bad, for two and a half hours we are all equals because we are all experiencing the same thing. And then the lights come on and we all go back to reality, but for a short amount of time Jake, Sammy and I weren't tourists in a foreign country. We were the same as everyone else in the theater and we were all watching men in tights save the world and looking great while doing it.

This experience reminded me how film transcends cultures. To some people, going to see a movie while I'm in the beautiful country of Greece is a waste of time; I can see a movie any old time. A part of me likes that my 12 euros went to the struggling Greek economy, but it's more than just how I spent my money. I came out of the Avengers, not only thoroughly entertained (and ready to take on any threat to the world), but excited because the career path I chose is capable of reaching across so many cultures. And that's inspiring to me.