I was first introduced to Vince Staples by his June 2017 album Big Fish Theory. Songs like “Alyssa Interlude” and “Yeah Right” became anthems of that summer for me.
I have this thing with entertainment. It’s one of the ways they diagnosed my neurodivergence, which is a fancy way of saying I’m annoying about movies. I catalog. I rewatch things that are good. I do not like a new viewing unless I’m in a theater with somebody who actually loves me present. And I mean loves me. Not “we’ve been on three dates” loves me. Real love. My friends love me and I can go to a movie with a friend, but I cannot go on a first date to a movie. A new movie. I would die. Not from first date nerves but from the very real possibility that I’ll watch something that impacts me so hard I can’t speak at the end. Which happens constantly. Then what? We’re supposed to discuss the film over dinner? I’m supposed to make small talk about the symbolism while I’m having a fucking spiritual crisis? No.
That’s why I rewatch. I know what happens already. I know what feeling I’m going to get. I can look for the technicalities. How shots are made. How actors move when they already know the story. I know the story, so I’m predicting their movements. It’s like watching a magic trick after you know how it’s done. You’re not watching the trick anymore. You’re watching the mechanics.
So when I watch something new and immediately start rewatching it, I have to ask myself why. What is it about this thing?