Melodrama is a film and television series genre that focuses on relationships between people and their emotional lives. There are no people who do not have any reaction to a movie about love.
But few people know that romance pictures will allow you not only to cry or get distracted from household chores but also to learn more about yourself or even improve your relationships with people.
The fact is that melodrama is one of the genres most suitable for cinema therapy. Since it is crucial for us that the spectacularity of the film in its emotional impact does not exceed the emotional responses of the film. A minimum of special effects and fantasy and maximum attention to ordinary life stories can touch many of us.
But first things first.
What is melodrama in a film?
Melodrama is one of the most famous and popular cinema and TV series genres. The melodramatic story is based on love and family experiences. But unlike drama, the emphasis is not on the conflicts that arise between the heroes themselves but on the emotions that the characters experience during these conflicts.
In The Life of Drama, the author, Eric Bentley, believes that the primary emotion of melodrama is a pity for the characters in the film. In other words, we connect to the hero through sympathy for him. And empathy implies that the viewer recognizes himself and his problems.
So let’s talk about why romantic movies are good.
Positive effects of romantic movies.
Opportunity to experience different emotions.
Most important, melodrama and romance movies allow us to see and go through intense, often negative emotions that are suppressed for many and forbidden to be shown in everyday life.
People are coming into contact with this side of emotional life to what extent they normalize their emotions. They see that other people also experience different ambivalent feelings.
For example, love is not always tenderness and care; it can be accompanied by jealousy and anger. The film lifts the veil into the emotional world of other people, which a person has not encountered before. Usually, we do not see such emotions in our colleagues, friends, or neighbors because they are forbidden to demonstrate. Because of this, many people going through such solid and difficult emotions think that something is wrong with them, but it is not.
In addition, melodramas help viewers learn to deal with their emotions.
When the viewers see how the characters deal with their strong emotions, it can give them ideas and inspiration. Melodrama is a very emotionally charged genre that helps viewers better understand their feelings and relationships and inspires them to deal with their emotional issues.
Variety of plots and exploration of relationships.
Melodramas focus on relationships between people, from first love to long and happy marriages. For example, this genre can talk about different types of relationships, such as friendship, love, family relationships, relationships at work, etc. In addition, they show various life situations that may be familiar to viewers and evoke empathy.
If a person has problems in a relationship, a movie about love can be a lifeline. The similar difficulties of the characters in the film help point the way to a solution. Such films demonstrate the development of events from different angles, and each story does not end the same way.
The watcher involuntarily observes other people’s problems and methods for solving them. We all know that looking at the situation from the outside makes it easier to find a way out of difficult and unsolvable situations in real life.
Romance movies give some insight into how relationships work and how problems can be solved. Likewise, many melodramas contain important lessons about how love and trust can help people overcome life obstacles. If you want to know more about how movies can help your relationship, check out my post about the benefits of cinema therapy for couples at home.
The opportunity to partially live the necessary relationship.
Some women are unhappy in their personal lives, and some never have healthy relationships. Such a situation forces women to watch a movie about love. So they somehow have the opportunity to run into the missing experiences. On an emotional level, the girl merges with her favorite characters, and she can, to some extent, survive the heroine’s love story.
Rest from reality.
In addition, melodramas often serve as a refuge from everyday problems and worries, allowing the viewer to escape reality for a while and forget about their problems.
No wonder they say that romance movies show love is like a parallel dimension. Girls go headlong from reality into this wondrous fantasy world. Women do this to escape from the routine and monotony of everyday life. For some, even a short-term immersion becomes an indispensable medicinal pill from an ordinary and boring life without the necessary emotions.
By the way, films for adults are often such a refuge for men. But it is a topic for another article.
Adverse effects of romantic movies.
But How to avoid making a mistake while watching melodramas?
#1 It is important to remember that melodramas can guide future relationships between a woman and a man for teenager.
Teenagers still do not know the real world. And for the first time, they can get acquainted with feelings in a movie about love. However, it would be best if you carefully selected a film to watch. Because not every film is well-thought-out and accurately conveys the full range of emotions and the appropriateness of actions.
The impressionability of young people can play a cruel joke, and they will think that real life is like a plot in a movie about love. In the future, when a teenager faces the realities, he may become very disappointed and lose faith in the opposite sex.
It happened to me, but it was a book, not a movie. I thought that book was accurate for many years, but it was just a novel.
#2 Melodrama and romance movies as a fairy tale.
The fundamental issue with melodramas is the long-held belief that fairy tales conclude with the characters getting married and starting happy lives. The idea that it is enough for two people who love each other to meet and that if no one interferes with them, then everything will be fine with them is not real. It may be real under some circumstances.
But in our modern world, the reality is that meeting each other is just a very initial situation. After this, there is still a lot to be done so that the relationship begins to bring pleasure to each other.
#3 There is practically no couple where one is terrible and the second is good.
Another distortion seen in the movies is stories about how a couple has someone good waiting for the whole film, how the second partner will improve and become good, and then love returns to the couple.
It does not happen in life. A problem in a relationship is always the result of the actions of both partners. And even if someone in a couple is very sure about himself that he is doing well. Then this is only about the fact that he does not understand and does not see his contribution to scandals and conflict.
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Final words.
Each love story is unique in its way. How many stories and so many plot twists. That’s why melodramas are so in demand. The viewer draws his parallels in even the banalest love story.
Ultimately, I want to say even a simple trip to a romance movie will be healing. Because it helps us to release our emotions, label them, give them a name, and eventually release them.
Share this blog post if you enjoyed it. I would appreciate it!
People like to joke about these types of movies, but romantic films do have value. And like you said, you can often relate to the characters and what they go through.
I’m a big fan of romance movies. I always loved the genre, and although I never really thought about why, I can see how all of these avenues you mentioned attracted me to them.
I love watching these movies and I am calling these “feel good” movies, sometimes it’s inspiring and stay positive, too!
I completely agree with your stance on melodramas being a valuable resource for those dealing with relationship issues. The films offer a unique perspective and guidance on how to navigate through difficult situations. Your emphasis on the significance of love and trust in overcoming life’s obstacles is spot on. It’s amazing how much insight we can gain from the movies we watch. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this topic!
I loved your article on why romantic movies are good. You made some great points about how they help us understand our emotions and bring people together. Thanks for sharing!
I loved your article on the benefits of romantic movies. Your insights were spot-on and really resonated with me.
Aaahhh yes, they are a sure way of resting my mind from my troubled reality of life. Besides that, I love love. It’s something so beautiful the eyes can’t get tired of seeing and knowing about.
I am not a great fan of romantic movies. Having said that I know of a few die hard fans of this genre. I think whatever may be the genre, we try to identify ourselves with one or the characters and our own emotions are based on what happens to that character in the movie.
I love these movies I feel good after watching these movies.
My favorite movie genre is horror. However, romance movies are my guilty pleasure. A good romantic movie can lift your spirits.
I like romantic movies ! Personally, it calms me down to watch peaceful and loving stories. It almost feels like I am living them !