Feeling good is a distraction that is useful to society. We are not a population requiring 100% productivity at all times. Feeling good can help ease problems, disconnecting through "trash tv" can give your brain enough of a break to come back to a problem you couldn't solve with a clear head. Routine serves humanity very well, and watching blockbuster movies as a reason to get together and watch with your loved ones is amazing.

I think a lot about how the movies I work give breaks to people across all workforces. Those that are trying to solve humanities diseases who need a disconnect from the workload and those that do shift work away from their families both deserve to take some time off their life and be entertained by a ferry passenger trying to escape a sinking ship or a junior exec getting hit in the nuts by a goat.

When I did a sequel of a popular movie I went deep into the hashtags on instagram and found dozens of "we watched this on our first date and now we're married, can't wait to see the next." type stories. Not a bad value for a campy zombie flick.

It is important be intellectually stimulated and fiction is one of the worst ways to achieve that. Read a technical book or listen to philosophers debate or brush up on complex historically significant events.

At the end of the day art is for entertainment. Whether or not you need the intellectually stimulating element in your art is subjective and unimportant.

Disagree completely on fiction not being intellectually stimulating. It's much easier to get many different views on a subject from a fictional discussion between characters or to see something from a wildly different point of view via a fictional character. In addition, fiction gives you a hook in the form of a story, to bring you along. Many speakers are not as interesting as their ideas and a story gives you an extra incentive to keep going.

Art is certainly for entertainment but it's the intellectual stimulation that makes certain fiction great.

I have been pushed in many thought provoking directions because of art. Issac Asimov ignited an interest in math, Kurt Vonnegut books laid a foundation for philosophy pursuits, and an indie film I was dragged to about a patriarch dealing with the inevitably of death completely reset my views on how to pursue life.

Everything is everywhere in everything.

of course, I don't mean to downplay the importance of entertainment - just that it isn't the activity that will intellectually challenge people. Anyone can view a painting or watch a film with their own "understanding" of it, it takes dedicated learning to understand math, physics, etc.

I've been to introductory art courses where many students were able to arrive at similar understandings of various artwork as more studied art aficionados. If you were to do the same in a STEM intro course, you'd likely get special attention and it would be noteworthy.

What's the name of the film?

Life of me I cannot remember. It was french, I believe something "bastards" when translated.

Remember the plot fully. The dad was dying of an inoperable cancer, his son enlists a junkie to help him score heroin to ease his suffering. With the time they have left the family tries to cope with everything the dad was and wasn't.

Two incredible scenes stick out. The first time he does heroin the junkie tells him "pay attention. This will be the best experience you will ever have. You will spend the rest of your life chasing this." - I get gut checked everytime I start a new experience with a reminder to take it all in this first time.

The second is the ending of the move which I will not spoil without request.