I found myself in Wonderland

It's been a little while, I believe I took a slight break for health. Yes, that's a satisfactory reason. Moving on.

Last night, I saw Alice in Wonderland. And it was beautiful. I have a deep love for Tim Burton; he has always been one of my favourite directors because I think he has a unique eye for life and its meaning. I went into Alice with high expectations and I was not deceived in the slightest. The acting was fantastic (I do love Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter), the cinematography was amazing, and the story of Alice and the Looking Glass has always been dear to my heart.

There are a lot of reasons that I enjoyed this story but I think what I like most is that I know Alice, I know how she felt, I know what she was escaping from and learning to live for. The story of Alice and the Looking Glass deals a lot with finding self, finding what it means to be self, and living for life. Alice's first encounter in Wonderland is rather accosting as everyone believes that she is not really herself and is the Wrong Alice. The rest of the story is Alice finding Alice, confronting with the pressures that are put on her, and making choices for Alice.

Part of me couldn't help but feel like Alice. Sometimes it seems that there are things in life that make me define who I am, force me to reconcile with the pressures in life and deal with them. The Mad Hatter refers to this as finding one's 'muchness' and I think there's a great deal of truth to that. I sometimes get lost in life, losing pieces of who I am and giving in to what others want of me. I lose my 'muchness' and have to find it again or else, I won't be able to slay the Jabberwocky when it comes.
Something else I was impressed with was the importance of friendship. Alice would not have been Alice without those around her who helped her and never left her, despite the price that came with it. The relationship between Alice and the Mad Hatter was incredibly kind- he cared so much for Alice and was willing to sacrifice everything so that she could succeed. There was genuine love and selflessness. I want to be that friend more in my life and I want to thank those who are that source in my life. I am blessed with wonderful people around me who love me and would do anything so that I can be Kristin.

I don't know how many people read these posts, but I would really recommend seeing this film. Yes, it's a bit quirky and yes, I realize that Tim Burton is not for everyone, but there's more to be had than odd costume and bizarre landscapes. There's life, love and goodness. And I hope you're looking for those things in life too.



And as a completely mostly non-related side note, I'm absolutely obsessed with a song from the movie by Avril Lavigne, which plays during the credits. I've listened to it over 70 times (I'm leaving out the exact number) and it is simply beautiful. Here's a link (second song, though the first one is a classic gem)-

http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/search/songs/?query=alice%20avril%20lavigne