Popcorn For One, Please! Why Solo Movie Dates Are My Guilty Pleasure

The small yellow lights inside the movie theatre gradually fade out. As we plunge into complete darkness, the screen comes alive with robust images and ambient sounds, whisking us away into the fascinating realm of celluloid superheroes and fantasy lands. Looking all around me, I exhale in relief. Yet another escapade, and thankfully, no familiar faces. No awkward hellos and judgmental smiles.

Changing my cell phone into aeroplane mode, I sink into my plush seat and allow myself to be sucked into the blissful world of make-believe. But wait, why do I feel relieved? Isn’t movie watching a pretty harmless and quotidian experience for most people? Probably, yes. It’s just that I’m the only woman who has checked into the theatre alone. Without a partner. Sans family or friends. And this, dear friends, happens to be my rather aberrant guilty pleasure — but one, I’m mighty chuffed about!

How It All Began

Visiting the theatres has never been a compulsive recreational need for me. The kind of movies that draw me to the theatre is limited and well-defined.

But yes, I’m very particular that if I do step into a theatre, it should turn out to be an entirely wholesome and gratifying episode for me, probably because I had missed this experience for quite a few intervening years when my children were young. I did not want to subject them to the torture of remaining seated, stationary, and silent for close to three hours.

More so, when they could neither comprehend the content nor enjoy the audio-visual blitzkrieg! And in the absence of a trusted support system, leaving them at home was not a viable option.

Cut to the present, where both the kids are independent adults, harbouring diverse (and incomprehensible) movie preferences. The spouse breathes deadlines, dreams of spreadsheets, and dines on presentation preps.

That leaves me with a deficit of desirable company but also grants me the occasional luxury of spare time, coupled with an explorative mood. And if the nearby multiplex happens to air a film of my choice, then it’s a veritable jackpot!

Over the past few years, I’ve developed a penchant for watching movies alone. Booking an online ticket, wrapping up the domestic chores double-quick, hopping into a cab, grabbing a cappuccino at the venue, and seamlessly blending with the crowd of eager movie-goers seem strangely exhilarating.

Why Solo, You Ask?

First, it accords me the freedom to watch a movie of my choice. In the absence of conversation and conformity, the mind is free to focus on the storyline, engage with the characters, debate the conflict, and reflect on the denouement.

I don’t feel the need to align with popular opinion or adulation. If the married female lead happens to find love outside of marriage, she usually invites viewers’ censure. But I may well empathise with her perspective.

Similarly, while others are busy cheering for the brawny hero and his charming lady love, I often find myself rooting for that self-effacing character in the shadows whose tiny voice of courage engendered the conflict and climax.

Trading Social Parley for Inner Monologue 

What began as a simple ritual born out of curiosity and compulsion soon graduated to a much-awaited, delightful escape from my timetabled life. There have been instances when my close friends have planned a lunch and movie date that I’ve tactfully given a miss, only to watch the same movie later, solo.

The dark confines of the theatre, its anonymity, and my singleness offer me a chance to delve into the long pauses, the layered dialogues, the background score, the technical finesse, and many such aspects that often get ignored in the hum of discourse.

Certain scenes may resonate with my lived experiences and whip up a wave of nostalgia, while others may not strike a chord, even if they’re the unfailing money spinners. I shed a tear as a long-buried memory pops up. I chuckle at an inappropriate but hilarious gaffe.

Sitting alone, there’s no pressure or expectation to be socially upright and morally impeccable for those few hours. And that, in itself, can be immensely liberating.

A Time for Self-Care

Solo movie outings accord me that rare opportunity of blissful self-indulgence within a safe, controlled environment, away from guilt trips or any judgmental gaze. If earlier they invoked shock from onlookers, now they elicit a reluctant respect.

While I’m usually mindful of my regular diet and its nutritional quotient, the theatre seduces me to tuck into a generous serving of cheese nuggets or crisp tacos or even a loaded burger.

My innocuous oddity gives me the dual benefit of savouring my isolophilia while simultaneously observing the general public; of staying inside my little cocoon of solitude, while also being a part of a larger community, thus enjoying the best of both worlds. 

Authored by Urmi Chakravorty | Views expressed by the author are their own.