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Birchtree
By Matt Birchler
I've been writing here since 2010! Back when personal blogs were all the rage. Kids, ask your parents.

The Accessibility Angle on Movies I'd Never Considered

Kathi Wolfe: A Smirk, a Smile, a Clenched Fist: What the Movies Taught Me to See

At the movies, for the first time, close to the giant silver screen, I could see clenched fists, grimaces, smiles, nods and other expressions and gestures. Back in the day, I would have had no idea of what a life hack was. But that’s what movies have been for me.

I'm gonna be honest, I had never really considered the accessibility angle of movies, but it makes me love them even more.

Also:

My everyday life, like that of everyone I’ve ever known, isn’t like the movies. I’m not, like Norma Desmond, getting ready for my close-up. I’ve had some lovely romances but never as magical as in “The Philadelphia Story.” I have moments of existential dread. But I’m not Laurence Olivier in “Hamlet.”

This is what I love about movies myself; they let me experience something distinct from my day-to-day life in a very visceral way. I know different media does this for different people, but movies have always connected with me and have helped me have more empathy for people with experiences unlike my own.

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