I went for time number 4 last night. Only 11 people present, but it was snowing a bit which may have kept people home. I went with my 16 year old son. It was interesting to me that while he liked the film, he didn't love it. I think because he has never yet been in love nor lost the love of his life (as so many of us have), the film did not resonate with him in the way it has with so many people (myself included). He actually thought the shirt thing was "corny" which I considered close to sacrilege! We talked about the film afterward and it wasn't until later, when he went to bed, that I realized he had listed some things he really like (the cinematography was beatiful, I thought the actors were terrific, etc.) and some things he was less than crazy about (Didn't you think it was kind of predictable? Why do these love stories always have someone die?), but he never mentioned the fact that the protagonists were both men. I really think it was a non-issue for him, which gives me some hope for this younger generation. My nephew, who is a year and a half older than my son, is openly gay in high school (here, in rural Alabama) and does not have problems for the most part. I hope all of these things signal that our young people get it and are not following in the homophobic footsteps of their parents. Or at least that fewer of them are.
Oh, and just for the record - time four - cried just as hard and loved it just as much. I noticed a lot of details that posters here had pointed out to me. Thanks, all.
