subliminal movie casting
So, even in dreams, I date myself.
Last night, I was dreaming about the casting for the If I Stay movie.
Anyhow, in the dream, Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke had been offered the parts of Mom and Dad.
This is so strange.
Winona and Ethan were the stars of the defining Generation X movie Reality Bites (also starring Janeane Garofolo and Ben Stiller, who also directed). I am quintessential Gen X. In the movie, Ethan and Winona were the romantic leads. Now, in my dream, they are up to play the parental roles.
Which makes sense. Because even though in some part of my head, I am still 24 and crushing on cute boys who play in bands, in reality, I married that boy and had kids with him. And had I had kids with him right after I'd met him, those kids would be Mia's age. In other words, I—and Winona and Ethan, more or less—are now the age of people who have children Mia's age.
But it's still all a little weird. Even more weird that I still think of Ethan not as the star of Reality Bites but as of Jesse, the adorable romantic lead of Before Sunrise (and its sequel Before Sunset), my favorite romantic movie maybe ever, to which Where She Went owes a debt. As you will see.
And most of all, it makes me feel old. Though not in a bad way. Also, I never really loved the movie that much anyhow. (And Janeane would make a way better Mom).
