Since signing up for Netflix, Saturday night has become “Movie Night”.
On Saturday last, I was perusing the offerings to see what was new. To see what was worth a couple hours of my time.
And there it was, “Act of Valor”.
I remember when this film came out and swore that I would go see it at the theater.
Like many films I have vowed to go see, time passed, other events occurred, and the moment was lost. Saturday night was an “oh yeah, I want to see that movie” moment.
After the movie started, and I was a good 15 minutes into it, was when I had a “hair standing up on the back of my neck” moment. Now this was not related to the film itself. I was completely immersed in what was happening on the screen. This was one of those moments when two events collided and became one.
Earlier in the day I was here, perusing “The Daily Lex” and sometimes, as I am wont to do, rambling through some of Lex’s other posts. And there I found, and read, Lex’s post Propaganda, a post which was, in essense, Lex’s review of the very same movie I was to watch Saturday evening.
When I stumbled across the movie and decided to watch it, I had more or less forgotten having read Lex’s piece earlier that day. But then, about 15 minutes in, it struck me that I had indeed read Lex’s thoughts on this movie. That very morning.
It gets worse. Lex had written that post on the 28th of February of this year, 2012. That post went up exactly one week before Lex was taken from us. It struck me that this may have been one of the last, if not the last, movie Lex ever watched.
I watched the remainder of the film with a lot of sadness. Even more than the movie itself demanded of me. The ending of the movie was moving and intensely sad. As I watched the names of the SEALS who paid the ultimate price since 9/11 scroll by, I thought of all of those who paid for my freedom.
At the same time I couldn’t help but feel a certain oneness with Lex. Here was an experience we shared. Far removed in time and space yes. But nevertheless, a shared experience.
I also couldn’t help but think that there are many experiences that we, as Americans share. Let’s never forget that.
