Field of Dreams (1989)
The problem of male-male affection is a tough one. Boys will stop kissing their dads around 7 or 8 (if they ever did at all). Around 14, it becomes uncomfortable to give their dad a hug. Into adulthood, physical affection will devolve to, but at least stop at, a handshake. Men will rarely examine what their father means to them (or anyone for that matter but
especially their fathers) and, even if they do, are the group who's least capable of expressing those feelings.
For most sons (at least in the U.S.) one of the earliest and fondest memories we have is "having a catch with dad". It will be ingrained in their memory forever right next to the smell of grass and the way the hot sun feels. Throwing the baseball is a physical expression of love that never "goes out of style" even if you may stop doing it. The thrower imparts a strong visceral sensation on the catcher but does it indirectly, through the baseball, from the "safe" distance of several yards. And, done in the unassailable name of "sports".
Which brings me to the climax of "Field of Dreams". I will not begin to cry when Kevin Costner asks the simple question, "Hey dad!... Do you want to have a catch?". But that's only because I'm smart enough to start crying a few minutes earlier... in
preparation for that line. Because I know it's coming. And I know what comes next. Note the way Ray (Costner) catches the ball and pauses briefly - he knows the exact meaning of that sensation and that moment. Hopefully, we do too.
Ray describes the years he spent estranged with his father: "I wanted to come home but I didn't know how"). We, as the audience, know that time cannot be undone by anyone. Whether the reasons are major or minor, in big ways and small ways, we can never go back home again. The fantasy of the movie allows us to witness one man who is suddenly excepted from that law. Whether that's cathartic or tortuous, it's both perfectly unique and extremely emotional.
9/10.
