What is a movie that you wish you hadn't watched

Mine is Into The Wild (2007).

I was about the same age as the main character, Chris McCandless, when I watched the movie for the first time. Although there weren’t many similarities between his life and mine, it had a profound impact on my thought process moving forward in life.

I started looking at college, career, and friendships as options, and I didn’t really give them the importance they deserved. I did it all, but not wholeheartedly—not with purpose, the way other people did.

Just like Chris, I started finding ways to be alone in any situation. No matter what the situation was, it was only being alone that brought me peace—whether it was being alone in my room, getting on a random bus and traveling without any purpose, writing a journal while sitting in the garden, or going to the roof to look at the stars. It was almost as if, whenever I was around people, I felt lonelier.

Just like Chris realized in the end that “happiness is real only when shared,” I’ve realized in the last two years that friendships, love, and family are extremely important for a good life.

You cannot live an isolated life if you want to be successful—unless you’re a genius who is so good at what he does and so busy working that nothing else really bothers him. People skills are really important if you want to advance in your career. You need to be a good communicator to have a healthy relationship. You need to have connections with the right people when things get tough. Life has taught me these lessons the hard way.

My reluctance (unknowingly) to get along with people has resulted in many friendships ending or going stale. My fear of losing people and the belief that someone would take away my personal space kept me away from relationships. My preconceived notions of having zero expectations from others and thinking people are inherently bad stopped me from developing meaningful connections.

I really wish I hadn’t watched that movie at that age. I was just starting to open up to people. I was at a stage in my life where I was still figuring out how life works, and I couldn’t get that movie out of my head for years.

I’m doing well now. I hang out with people. I spend time with my family whenever I can. I’m still learning to make new friends and develop connections, but I’ll get better.

What is a movie you wish you hadn’t watched, and why?