Movies reflect human needs: Wonder--curiosity

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Movies reflect human needs...

Wonder -- curiosity

Image from storyblocks.com

One day, during my teen years, as I sat in my sister's salon chair while she trimmed my hair, I wondered aloud, "I wonder what I'd look like with bangs." And suddenly--snip, snip, snip--I didn't need to imagine it. Be careful what you wonder aloud! (I looked good, by the way.)

But seriously, wondering--being curious, is a human need.

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. (Albert Einstein)

Asking questions from a place of curious wondering is quite beneficial. Questions can kickstart creative ideas and bring solutions. How does this work? Is there a pattern or a connection here? 

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)

• While looking at a bicycle headlight connected to a dynamo, a young teenager in Malawi wonders how the mechanism works, and that curiosity helps him figure out a way to save his village from famine. (Based on a true story.)

Joy  (2015)

• Joy Mangano (Jennifer Lawrence) cuts her hands while wringing out a mop used to clean up a spill with broken glass. She wonders about a solution, and it leads to her first major invention. (Based on a true story.) (My review found here.)

We need curiosity for more than inventions, though. Looking at ourselves and others through a lens of curiosity can move us beyond being judgmental. I wonder why I have that tendency? I wonder... what's that person's story?

Replace judgment with curiosity. (Lynn Nottage)

Like Stars on Earth (Taare Zameen Par) (2007)

• A teacher approaches a "problem" child through curiosity, rather than with the harsh assessment of others, and wonders about his background--family, past school performance, behavior patterns--and discovers the root of the boy's learning difficulties.

Wondering... especially asking what if... can play a role in Storytelling.

That's what started the story of Braveheart (1995) as its screenwriter, Randall Wallace, stood outside the castle in Edinburgh, Scotland, looking at a statue of a man who bore the same last name -- William Wallace. Nearby was a statue of Robert the Bruce. He writes, "I began instantly to wonder, What if there was something in the life and death of William Wallace that had the power to transform Robert the Bruce from a plotting, cowardly betrayer to the greatest king in his country's history?" (*Citation below)

When I posted about Quest, Frédérique (find her blog here) commented that a quest is like curiosity to her, curiosity for what is around us. I hadn't thought of that... how curiosity can be linked to a quest. 

And that made me think... it was Randall Wallace's curiosity about his forefathers that took him to Scotland in the first place. 

I went on a similar quest in 2019, curious to see if I could flesh out a story about a specific Scottish ancestor... but after an unnerving experience and lots of wondering--What just happened? How does that connect? Is this significant?--the story I was chasing led me down an unexpected path. (I posted about that journey here.)

What do you wonder about? Has curiosity sent you on a quest? Do you approach problems from an angle of curiosity?

(*Living the Braveheart Life: Finding the Courage to Follow Your Heart by Randall Wallace)

(Note: The movies listed might not be completely family-friendly. See my "Movie Content" information on the blog's sidebar.)