I recently watched Steven Spielberg’s Titanic for the first time in over a decade. My first experience was less than stellar; I remember liking the visuals, the cinematography, the effects, the music.  But I loathed all of the characters.  This time around, the visuals remain stunning, breath-taking, well-worthy of all the Academy Awards this movie received.  The sinking of the ship itself remains powerful, heartbreaking, and utterly chilling.

Yet I still don’t like the main characters, Jack and Rose.  I understood them better, understood their choices, their positions, and empathized more than I did when I was ten.  But I still didn’t really like them.  Or maybe it isn’t a matter of “liking.”  They would be fine as acquaintances.  But I didn’t…connect with them, not on any meaningful level that persisted past the end credits.

Why?

Continue reading “Why Love At First Sight Doesn’t Work In A Story” →