Friday, April 30, 2021

Movies reflect human needs: Zone...get out of it!

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

ThemeMovies reflect human needs...


Zone...get out of it!


Image from storyblocks.com

There is no growth in the comfort zone; there is no comfort in the growth zone. (*) 

Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered you will never grow. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
We need to get out of our comfort zone and stretch our abilities. Transformation typically requires getting out of our zone.

So what holds us back? Very often it's fear -- fear of the unknown, fear of failure (or fear of success!), perhaps even being afraid of the effort it will take (similar to what might keep us from saying yes to opportunities). 

During Freshman orientation at the University of Utah, I followed a group of youngsters to the Fine Arts building. At 50 years of age, I was what they termed a "non-traditional" student, and I was waaay out of my comfort zone. 

As we walked, I saw a path that I was fairly certain led to the lot where my car was parked. It seemed like every ounce of my being screamed out to leave and go back home and knit socks (which I've never done, but it seemed more doable than going back to school!).

I wish I'd had a fantastic soundtrack playing in that moment...like Walter Mitty (more on that below)...when I made the conscious decision to turn away from the escape route and continue to my degree.
You are your only border -- throw yourself over it! (Hafiz, Persian poet)
Perhaps it's another form of a comfort zone, but it's nice to be able to choose when and where and how we stretch our boundaries. Sometimes, though, life has a way of kicking us out of our zone, but as discussed in Agency, we can choose to grow from the experience, or not.

Movies reflecting the need (although sometimes forced) to get out of the comfort zone...

  • In order to find his son, this serious clownfish must move beyond his worry-wart boundaries.
  • Due to his tendency to stutter, King George VI of England is not comfortable with public speaking, but he faces the challenge.
Klaus (2019)
  • A freeloading young man gets pushed out of his cushy environment when his father sends him to an inhospitable, frozen, island.
  • A timid romance writer is forced into dangerous situations in order to help her sister who's held hostage.
  • I absolutely love the scene where Walter (Ben Stiller), with the song Ground Control to Major Tom playing in his imagination, leaps out of his comfort zone and into a helicopter about to fly into a possible storm with an intoxicated pilot! My heart soars every time I watch that scene. (Found here.)
Selma (2014)
  • In order to bring about change, and to secure equal voting rights, a whole lot of people leave their comfort zone and join Martin Luther King, Jr. in a march from Selma, Alabama to the state's capital in Montgomery.
Uncle Buck (1989)
  • Watching his nieces and nephew and staying in the suburbs is not this bachelor's forte, but he agrees to do it anyway, to help his brother.
  • An "obsessive-compulsive neurotic" man willingly takes baby steps to stretch his boundaries.

What movie would you add? Do you find ways to stretch beyond your comfort zone? Have you experienced times when circumstances forced you out of your zone? (Did you grow from it?)


 *An online search shows this quote attributed to several people, so I'm not sure who originally said it.

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

32 comments:

  1. This was a great theme and I enjoyed your selection of human needs. Congratulations on finishing the challenge!
    Black and White: Z for Zerzura

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    1. Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the theme. I'm already looking over my list of theme ideas for next year! It's always tough to choose which one to do.

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  2. Congratulations on finishing the A-Z Trudy, so many good films through the month and I've enjoyed visiting and seeing your picks and recommendations. A bit like Romancing the Stone, I would add the Indiana Jones films to this list :-)
    https://iainkellywriting.com/2021/04/30/the-state-trilogy-a-z-guide-z/

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    1. Oooo yes, the Indiana Jones films! He gets put in a lot of uncomfortable situations.

      Thank you so much for your insights and comments throughout the month!

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  3. Quite a few movies would fit this. Let me go with one of my long time favorites The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy is definitely forced out of her comfort zone as are her companions. She had to get out of Kansas in order to appreciate it more.

    Congratulations on your successful complete of A to Z 2021!

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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    1. Thanks for adding The Wizard of Oz! That's a wonderful example of being out of the comfort zone and growing from it.

      And thank you for creating the A to Z Challenge! It really gets ideas flowing... I'm already thinking about next year.

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  4. "The King's Speech" was a great movie, and the scene where he makes the speech almost brought me to tears. It's like he picked up strength from what he was saying.

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    1. That's such a powerful scene, indeed! I felt so nervous for him, especially at the beginning of his speech.

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  5. These movies, and the ones added by Iain and Arlee are great! Thank you for the fabulous list, now I will have time to watch them 😉
    Congratulations, great challenge achieved!

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    1. I have a list of movies to watch, too, gleaned from the comments. Thanks for following along and adding your thoughts!

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  6. I am a big believer in pushing beyond our comfort zones. It is a momentary discomfort with the potential for huge growth. Congrats on choosing to pursue your degree on an unconventional path. That is so admirable. Weekends In Maine

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    1. Thank you for your kind words! And thank you for following along and commenting during the challenge!

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  7. I love the scene you've so vividly described (your walk almost leading you to your car and sock knitting).
    I read somewhere that the day you stop learning (new or unlearning that which doesn't serve you any more) is the day you die.
    It stayed with me and being open to learning has put me in many uncomfortable days--considerable unease while breaking those walls Hafiz talks about. But, I wouldn't trade that for anything.
    Sharing this link from a post I wrote for N this month. It's akin to your walk:)
    (It's becoming a habit this month--but, I'll indulge.)
    https://artismoments.blogspot.com/2021/04/n-is-for-new-beginnings-atozchallenge.html

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    1. I hope I always strive to learn new things... Now, if I could just retain what I've learned!

      Thank you for visiting and commenting on my blog!

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  8. I think of Erin Brokowich ( I may have spelt it wrong) ....Julia gets thrown into a zone that's alien to her and she takes the bull by its horns

    https://pagesfromjayashree.blogspot.com/2021/04/z-for-zoo.html

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    1. That's a good one to add, thank you! And thank you for visiting my blog!

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  9. Hi Trudy, you commented on my Theme Reveal and since then i have not seen you or visited you which I shall definitely remedy during the Road Trip now the madness of April is over. How about "Amelie" in which Amelie challenges her father to overcome widowhood by stealing the Gnome which is part of the shrine her father has built to Amelie's mother and gets an airline stewardess to photograph the gnome in all sorts of foreign locations until her father finally cracks and packs his bags...

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    1. Oh my goodness, I need a better system for keeping track of things during the challenge. After reading your comment, I returned to the Theme Reveal and refreshed my memory. I'm sorry I missed out on your posts during the month! I'll try to catch up on them soon.

      I've heard a lot of positive things about Amelie, and I actually have some of the songs from the soundtrack on one of my playlists, but I still haven't seen the movie. (I need to get busy on the list of titles I've gathered from the comments. Lots of films to watch!)

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  10. Loved your theme this year. Added many movies to my list plus remembered some great ones I had forgotten about. Congrats on making it to the finish line!

    Janet’s Smiles

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    1. We made it to the end of the A to Z Challenge again! The month flew by. I'm glad you enjoyed the theme... thank you for your comments!

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  11. 'Howl's moving castle' - Sophie, a hat maker, is driven out of her comfort zone by a witch who cursed her to be old. This is one of my favorite movies. I can't think of a more perfect, cruel but perfect, way for someone who have accepted her fate of being struck doing the same thing, to move beyond all that she knows. And the curse kind of also gives an excuse to do bold things. Not she needs an excuse but I guess she needs one, sort of like a push that she needs.

    Have a lovely day.

    My A-Z posts are here.

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    1. I'd never heard of Howl's Moving Castle. Your description piqued my interest, and I don't see it available on the streaming channels I have access to, so I searched the local library and they have the DVD available. (I love the library!) Thanks!

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  12. Great story in the beginning, good on you for not only sticking but also for showing it to them with your summa cum laude! Well done! I would love to get another degree but they're too expensive, and I find only a fraction useful :) so I'm sticking to various courses.

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    1. Thank you! I amazed even myself when I graduated with such honors. When I returned to school, I simply had the goal to make it through my classes and get my work turned in on time. :-)

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  13. Mr. Mom and Remembering the Titans are both indicative of that theme.

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    1. Oh my, yes. Some of those scenes with Mr. Mom out of his comfort zone are classic! Thanks for adding those movies.

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  14. Since you have been visiting my blog, you would know by now that cancer pushed me out of zone and I am grateful it did.
    As for movies, I was impressed by Never been kissed before, and not sure whether it fits - Eternal sunshine of Spotless mind. It has been a great experience reading your lists of movies. I have a huge list of movies to check out now.

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    1. Cancer definitely pushed you out of your comfort zone and I'm so glad you shared the insights you learned from that experience!

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  15. Getting out of the comfort zone; "Romancing the Stone" is a great example of that! One that popped into my mind is "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society." Juliet takes a risk and goes out of her comfort zone to travel to Guernsey, and it changes her world forever.

    I have loved reading all your blog posts! It is so wonderful to hear your insights and knowledge about film. It is clear it is your passion! Thanks for being here!

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    1. "The Guernsey Literary..." such a good movie! And a great example of getting out of the comfort zone. I'm glad you mentioned it.

      Thank you so much for following and commenting on my posts. I value your input! A good portion of the movies I added to my "want to see" list were films you suggested in your comments.

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  16. Trudy,

    In your 'Yes Opportunities" post, I mentioned us trying our hand with a home-based business. This was something totally out of both of our comfort zones but more so for DH than me. He did it anyway and because of it, it pulled him out of his shy and awkwardness. Nowadays, he's the one who's the first to start a conversation with a strangers whereas it used to be me. I've grown more into an introvert over the years. I blame this on being a homebody for too long and I'm having to step out of my comfort zone to reclaim my lost outgoing spirit.

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    1. That's wonderful how saying yes to opportunity also helped get out of the comfort zone. It's amazing what we can do when we allow ourselves to stretch.

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