Watching movies is one of the most common entertainment options these days. There is unlimited content all over the internet for every genre, interest or subjects. Sometimes you just start watching a random movie unaware of the impact it will leave on you for a lifetime.
Some movies just give you a much needed hard reality check.
Midnight Sun, for me, is one such movie. I randomly started watching it from the recommended list. The story revolves around a 17 year old girl "Katie Price" who lost her mother when she was too young and lives with her dad. She has a life threatening sensitivity to sunlight and remains sheltered and confined in her house during the day. Her day begins after dark when she plays Guitar and sings for random travelers. She knows her condition and has been enjoying it with her dad and a friend Morgan who visits her everyday.
One night, she walks out on the station to play guitar where she meets her long time crush "Charlie". She had been watching him skate and go for swimming training all these years through the special glasses installed at her window. She just couldn't believe him in front of her eyes, and leaves from there in a hurry after making a silly excuse. In that state, she forgets her diary which Charlie keeps.
Next day while talking to Morgan, she realizes the same, and asks her to bring it back for her from the station. She had been using this diary to pen down everything she feels, her songs and it meant a great deal to her. Morgan meets Charlie at the station, who was waiting with the diary, in hope of meeting Katie again. He refuses to handover the diary to Morgan and asks her if he can drop it at her house. So, Morgan plays a cupid in making them meet again at the station. This time she is relaxed and they start sharing things. But Katie feels hesitant to tell him about her medical condition as she wanted to feel normal and not like a disease to be carried in front of him.
He helps her get exposure to sing and play guitar in front of live audiences by taking her to a different city wherein she ends up having an experience she never had. She in turn helps him and motivates him to start swimming again, which he had stopped after his silly dare. That dare gave him an injury which made him lose his Berkeley University scholarship. That night they stayed together and she lost track of time and panics after he mentions to watch sunrise together. She frantically starts running when he picks her up from the road and continues driving at full speed clueless about the state she was in. As soon as she reaches the doorstep, she frantically runs to get inside but gets exposed to sun rays just for a second. She had missed her dad's calls, Morgan calls and landed here and they followed her shortly. Morgan fills in Charlie at the doorstep about her condition when she realizes Katie still did not tell him.
That one second changed everything for Katie. The medical tests revealed that her brain had started to contract, she would face muscular twitching and she would not live long. It was all going to end soon.
When Charlie finally gets to meet her again with her dad's intervention, she wanted to break up with him and wish him final goodbye. But he comforts her, supports her and says that we will not fail without trying as she always believed. She feels happy and smiles with tears rolling down her eyes. He makes her record a song at a studio and just sing as she can't play guitar any more. Charlie also wins the swimming competition finally and wins his scholarship back. The happiness he witnessed on Katie's face who was there to cheer for him with her dad made him super happy.
Charlie had to go for one last day to take care of a boat which was under his supervision for a year. Katie wanted to experience sailing for one time in her life, to feel the breeze even when she knew the sun exposure would worsen things. She goes out for the first time without any worry, feeling the warm sunlight on her face, feeling the breeze and just living in that moment.
She passed away. She left Charlie her diary which her dad handed over to him when he came to meet him and apologize before leaving for the university. Her dad mentioned they always knew this day would come and its not his fault. He was happy that she found her happiness in Charlie. After exchanging goodbyes, he went in his truck.
In the diary, she had penned a letter for him describing how she really enjoyed the time with him, felt lively and lived her life even if it was for a short time. Charlie had tears in his eyes. Shortly after, he switched on the radio wherein he came to know that Katie's "Charlie Song" had gone viral on you tube and he couldn't feel happier. He informed her dad as well and he jumped with joy at his office hearing the same radio channel telling everyone around that his daughter did it.
We expect so much from our lives but we just forget to live in the moment and enjoy what we have. Just imagine being in her shoes even for a short time. We always compare ourselves to one's having more than us and that's a never ending cycle. We will always be left disappointed in the end. Many thrive to be in the place we are already at. Why not enjoy and appreciate that? Life is short. Don't waste it getting into a loop of never ending expectations. I hope we learn to enjoy the "JOY IN LITTLE THINGS"
