About choosing a movie that started all

The other day, I was watching Babylon. It was a recommendation from a friend. It was good in general, but something in the final part stood out to me: the final musical montage with clips from movies of all years and genres. It made me reflect on my own journey with cinema.

If someone asked me what movie made me fall for cinema and why, I would probably answer Secretariat, because it’s the first film that comes to mind when I try to think about the movie that started it all. But if I could answer on a deeper level, I would say that…

To say that one movie made me fall in love with cinema is as redundant as saying that a particular painting made me fall in love with art or that a song made me adore music. It’s not about one choice, but about a collection of moments, stories, and feelings that blend into something more profound.

Movies like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and Spirited Away didn’t make me fall in love with cinema, but they awakened a passion for the hero's journey. They took me to worlds where the call to adventure, the clash of good and evil, and the triumph of hope all existed on the grandest of scales, all of this enhanced by incredible soundtracks and cinematography.
You can’t tell me that a scene like the final goodbye between Elizabeth and William Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End would feel the same without the magnificent work of Hans Zimmer. It’s the music that amplifies the emotion and atmosphere of a scene; it’s responsible for making our emotions go wild when there are no words to be heard.

Movies keep us connected to people and moments, binding memories and sentiment to our whole being. And those connections prevail through time. For me, it’s as simple as remembering a friend every time I watch a movie they recommended, or recalling long road trips with Harry Potter playing on a portable DVD player. It’s about how each movie is accompanied by something else.

Whenever I watch Underdog, I remember my childhood dog, and good memories and nostalgia of my time with him flood my mind. I remember liking that movie when I was a kid, but now it has a special place in my heart. The same happens with Tarzan. Watching that movie takes me back to when my cousins and I would be spread out on the floor, drinking chocolate milk and wrapped in thick blankets to protect us from the cold.

Another thing I always highlight about cinema is how it broadens our horizons. Living in North America, we’re heavily influenced by Hollywood (of course), but when exploring foreign films, you discover new ways of filmmaking and get exposed to different cultures, lifestyles, and artistic perspectives. I’m talking about movies like Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Oldboy, Akira, and City of God, which explore diverse themes and challenges, with directors approaching them uniquely and using different artistic techniques.

But my favorite part is just the sensation of feeling deeply connected to characters and a world that I didn’t even know existed two hours ago, before starting the film. And how, in just a couple of minutes, I realize how enchanted I am by them, how magnificent the world-building is, how endearing the characters are in their own ways, and how my stomach twists whenever I see a confrontation that will shape the course of the story.

That’s why I love films, because they become deeply intertwined with our souls, tangling their messages in our minds so that they become part of us, whether it’s a phrase, a quirk, or a way of thinking. And that is why cinema is so special to me. It’s not about one defining moment or a singular piece of work; it’s not about the music, writing, photography, painting, or acting, but about the experiences. After all, what is more exciting than seeing an unknown world for the first time?

So, with this, I just wanted to share that, for me, loving movies is not about a favorite title or one that changed the way I appreciate cinema, but about how each of them has left a mark on me, building a love and passion that grows with each story I see on the screen.