Every once in a while, a movie scene sneaks up on you. It slips past your expectations, bypasses your delicately constructed emotional guardrails, and elegantly lands somewhere deep inside. For me, these scenes came unexpectedly. I didn’t realize in the moment how much these scenes would stick with me.
Sometimes it is a grandiose speech or a dramatic turn of events. Other times it is the climax of the film. Occasionally it is the quiet moments, the in-between scenes that most viewers forget about. Either way, as I pressed pause on my own life and hit play on my screen, I felt as though the directors were holding up a mirror and saying, “Hey, is this you?”
I never expected films like Barbie, Lady Bird, or Promising Young Woman to hit me the way that they did. But somehow, each of them dealt me a tiny piece of myself that I never realized I was missing.
Barbie: Gloria’s Monologue
When America Ferrera’s character delivered that monologue in Barbie, I felt deeply seen. It was the way she essentially laid it all out, how exhausting it actually is to be a woman who’s supposed to be literally everything, all at once, without ever letting it look difficult. Pretty but not too pretty. Ambitious but not too intimidating. Intelligent but humble. A leader but likable.
The first time I watched Barbie, I sat there thinking: Oh. For years, I have carried this quiet pressure to achieve the perfect balance. This speech has reminded me that to struggle is not a flaw, it is part of existing in a world that does not often make sense. Hearing a maternal character remind me that I can let it all go felt like a new kind of freedom.
Lady Bird: The Car Ride
And then there is Lady Bird. There is a scene towards the end of the film where Lady Bird (whose real name is Christine) is driving through her hometown of Sacramento. In this moment, she reflects on Sacramento, a place she once could not wait to get away from. Suddenly, it feels like the mundane has become beautiful. The streets she has driven countless times hold a softness she had never noticed before.
This scene reminds me of how often I have overlooked the small, ordinary pieces of my own life. My home, my family’s dynamics, my Sunday routines – I always feel like my life needs to feel bigger. I have been so preoccupied by wanting to be perceived as extraordinary enough that I have lost touch with how much the unremarkable moments have actually shaped me.
Promising Young Woman: The Ending
Finally, Promising Young Woman. Without any spoilers, the ending of the film was brutal, complicated, and despite all else, empowering. Regardless of how vigilant I believed I was, I never could have seen the plot twists coming. Without giving too much away: Cassie’s project does not conclude in the sort of immaculate triumph that Hollywood loves to give us. There are flaws, but there is also a ruthless sense of justice. Cassie took control in a world that took everything away from her.
What struck me the most was the way that Promising Young Woman forces you to sit with discomfort. The ending doesn’t fool you into buying that everything turns out okay, because oftentimes things aren’t okay. It taught me that feeling empowered does not always mean smiling through the pain or searching for the bright side. Sometimes it’s about staring directly at the ugly and refusing to look the other way. There is a power in telling the truth, even when it damages you. Especially when it damages you.
These scenes did not hit me all at once, but together, they have quietly rewired the way that I see myself – especially as a young woman dealing with so much uncertainty. I am trying to be a bit more compassionate with the messy parts. To be merciful with my feelings, even when they are complicated. To welcome the dull moments that I used to overlook. And to remain courageous in the face of all things that are unfair.
Movies don’t just entertain us. They hand us pieces of ourselves that we did not know we were looking for.
Hey Kaleigh! 