A light
in the darkness Students find comfort in shows and movies
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Hanna Kryhina & Ruya Yaman According to the Pew Research Center, 9 in 10 adults watch television at least once a week to cope with the world’s chaos in its current state. Carlmont students are no different. Fans of comedy and horror have turned to watch TV shows and movies to distract themselves from the realities of quarantine. “It’s kind of like a way to escape, even just temporarily,” junior Leila Farhi said. “Sometimes, after a long day of school, I’ll go straight to Netflix and watch a show or a movie. It kind of helps me wind down a bit.” These shows and movies help students move their attention away from the world around them and instead learn more about themselves during this period of isolation. “A lot of it has taught me lessons,” senior Varun Avari Kapoor said. “It has been instrumental because you can focus on how the characters grow and develop and apply those stories to your own life. The morals inside the shows are helpful in terms of self-exploration and understanding what you can do to become a better person.” One movie that empowered Avari Kapoor on his journey of self-discovery is “Frozen 2.” “It resonated with me specifically because it was about finding your true spot in the world,” Avari Kapoor said. “The main protagonist was struggling throughout the movie to find her destiny, and when she did, she suddenly felt secure in herself and in who she was. I thought that was really cool, and I have to sort of find that own security in who I am.” Similarly, Alexandra Gische, a senior, believes that the visual media she consumes significantly impacts her actions. “I get my personality from the TV shows I watch,” Gische said. “If [you watch] ‘Gilmore Girls’–I think I’m on my fourth run–you’ll be like, ‘Oh, Alexandra does that. Oh, she does this as well.’”
12 HIGHLANDER FEATURES
