If you haven't seen 127 Hours and don't know how the guy escaped from his rocky entrapment, read no further. But I may be the only person who wasn't aware of how this guy escaped..... until someone told me today. My first reaction was, "Wait, don't tell me what happened, I haven't seen the movie." My second reaction was like being punched in the gut - over and over again. The feeling hasn't left me all day.
I read a review of the movie on a parent review website (you can be sure they'll give you every detail in their attempt to shield young viewers from gore, violence, sex and swearing). I only read the section on violence/gore; I wanted to know how graphic they depicted the amputation before making a decision about whether or not to see it. Just reading about how he severed off his arm made me light-headed and nauseous. I have a visceral reaction to body parts being severed.
I remember a few months after my accident the movie Julia came out, a movie about Lillian Hellman and her friend, Julia. My mom saw it before I did and strongly discouraged me from seeing it. One of the characters wore a prosthetic limb and she thought I would be disturbed by that. "Oh, Mom, I'll be fine," I said as I waved off her comment. My boyfriend and I went to the movie and I held his hand the whole time, realizing how nervous I was as I waited for the part where the amputee would walk on screen. The actress nailed it; she limped just like I do. Seeing on film what I had only yet seen in my own reflection was a shock.
I acted cavalier and pretended it didn't affect me, but it did. I shook it off and went on with my evening. Over the years I haaven't become less sensitive. On the contrary. I've become more sensitive. When I heard about James Franco's character cutting off his arm today, I was back at my own accident, lying on the side of the road. The worst part wasn't seeing a part of my leg a few feet away. The worst part was feeling like my heart had just been ripped out.
Though I'm a James Franco fan and I've been excited to see this movie, I think I'll pass. I'll keep my heart intact.