I remember the first movie I ever cried in. I must have been about six and my family rented The Incredible Journey. Thank heavens we weren't at a theatre. (Yes, I like the British spelling.)
You know why there's a waterfall in the picture? Because the cat falls over the waterfall.
This. Was. Bad.
I screamed and ran to my room, shedding tears the whole way. My mom had retrieve me, finally drawing out of me that I was a blubbering mess of tears because the cat was dead.
Dead!
Yes, in my six-year-old's world that poor little kitty was dead as a doornail. No cat has enough lives to survive that kind of plunge. It took a lot of convincing on my mom's part to convince me otherwise. Cat actors? This is all pretend? Really?
Granted, I was only six, but my reaction to The Incredible Journey and recent Kleenex-fest with The Time Traveler's Wife just goes to show that a good story can suspend reality. Characters really do marry, have kids, and die. Or go on long journeys with dog friends and fall over waterfalls.
What about you? Are there any books or movies that never fail to make you tear up? Do your stories suspend reality?
