watching the movie Sliding Doors in this way had a profound
effect on her.
Movie Preview:Sliding Doors (1998)
Sometimes when the worst happens to us, it sets us
on a better path than the one we were on — even when
we have no idea there is a better alternative. Helen is
unjustly fired from her glossy advertising job, then,
coming home early, misses the “tube,” gets mugged,
goes to the hospital, and eventually arrives home to find
her live-in writer boyfriend getting a late start on his
day. Her life is all downhill from there as she then takes
on two menial jobs in order to support them both while
he shams finishing his novel and instead has an affair
with his ex-girlfriend.
But this film shows us a parallel reality, simultaneously
weaving both versions of Helen’s life together in an
intricate, cross-referencing braid. Back at the subway
station, Helen makes a last minute dash through the
sliding doors of the train and thus arrives home in time
to catch her boyfriend in bed with his ex. Dumping the
loafer and moving in with her best friend, she eventually
heals her pain, starts her own PR firm, and falls in love
with James, a genuinely caring man.Sue told me that, as she watched the unhappy Helen in the
movie, she experienced feelings of despair and a queasy sensa-
tion in her stomach. She also noted that those were familiar
feelings, ones she experienced regularly at work and immedi-
ately following work. Instead of ignoring these feelings and
sensations as she viewed the film, she stayed present to her dis-
comfort and wondered why Helen’s life affected her so much.
Soon she was able to see that she also felt very unhappy about
her work situation but had tried to ignore it. Her suppressed
frustration had spilled into her relationship and led to fights
Watching Movies With Conscious Awareness 51