As I write this, it’s closing in on one in the morning. I don’t really want to go to bed yet because I’ve just watched a rather unsettling movie. I’m not afraid of having nightmares or anything…I just need to give my brain a chance to stay curled up in a fetal position a little longer. I thought about writing about the film (DOGTOOTH if you’re curious)…but then I wondered if it might be better not to.

I’ve been hearing this movie mentioned for more than six months now, and I only paid enough attention to know that I’d be shocked by whatever I saw. I easily could have learned more – hell, the entire plot is listed on Wikipedia – but I deliberately chose not to. I wasn’t exactly trying to avoid “spoilers”, I just felt an odd desire to go into this film knowing as little as possible.

The decision paid off, as I found the film equal parts shocking, fascinating, and indelible. Did all of this come from avoiding details and just letting it play? Perhaps. Maybe in this instance it worked out better not to seek the details, and instead to just let it play.

As I thought about this idea further, I got to thinking about the top films I saw this year. Of the five movies I thought were tops, three of them were films I went into stone cold – no trailers, no reviews. Did 127 HOURS, BLACK SWAN, and WINTER’S BONE affect me that much more because I hadn’t watched clips over and over? Is it possible that if I took more steps to avoid details before seeing a film, that more films would be that much more enjoyable??

I realize asking these questions as a person who takes time each day to specifically discuss the details seems hypocritical, but it can’t all be co-incidence, can it? Would BLUE VALENTINE have rocked me as hard as it did if I fully knew what I was getting into? I doubt it. Even though I’ve become a lot better at finding the films that stand a better chance of speaking to me, maybe I’d get just that little bit more from them if I concerned myself less with the details and just trusted a few people – including many of you who read this site – when you say “Just watch it”.

What about you folks…..what are your habits like with going into a movie blind?