I now find it difficult to watch movies...

A couple months ago I started working as a Teacher full time for the first time in my life. The job is stressful at times but for the most part I cope pretty well. I find myself exhausted after a days worth of work but that has improved recently the more I work.

I've noticed that my movie watching capabilities have since dwindled. Yes, I'm more busy but I do have free time, enough time to probably watch a movie a night. At work of a day I think of how much I'd love to be at home watching a movie, but when I do I simply cannot choose a movie and pay attention to it.

For example, the other day I put on Shrek. Great movie, lasted 30 minutes before I got distracted and ended up turning it off. Today I watched The Interview, and throughout the whole movie I was thinking about other things, and hoping the movie would end despite it being a good flick. Made it to the last 10 minutes, then simply let it run off without me paying attention to it. Then I moved onto The Town, which I've never seen before. Lasted 30 minutes before I got distracted and turned it off. I recently had 2 weeks of holidays, in which I did not watch a single movie - which is unusual for me.

Has this happened to any of you? Is my attention span completely shat, am I simply going through a phase or has my love of watching movies died? I never had the greatest attention span but it seems to be getting worse. Could this be my new job, or simply me not being able to focus because I have too much on my mind?

It's probably a combination... For me, if I go a day or two without watching a movie, it's easy to keep the streak going. I've had the internet for a week, so I've been distracted. I managed to watch a movie yesterday, but it seemed like I wanted it to end so I could go online....

Next time you put in a movie, take a few deep breaths, and then try to stay as still as possible, and try to observe everything on the screen. Turn off the phone, lights, etc etc..

It could also be what you watch?

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Hi AF, I doubt you've lost your love of films, sounds like you're just knackered when you get back from work! Teaching if a very tiring job and particularly if you've only just started and full time too then you have a lot going round in your head I bet, no wonder you can't concentrate. I remember back in the late 80s/early 90s I hardly watched any films at all - my kids were small and I was working too so I had a permanent lack of sleep feeling for quite a few years.
Your love of film will come back, don't worry, mine did with a vengeance

(and hey take care of yourself)

Probably a mixture of all those things.


You've had a major change in your life with the new job though so that's probably the biggest thing.


I wouldn't worry about it though, after you've got yourself settled into a more routine frame of mind, you'll be back on the movies again.


I had a null in attention from around 2005 to about 2008 due to life changing. Back on it now though, I wouldn't worry.

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This was pretty much what I was gonna say. Big change in your life, you're still in the process of getting use to it, and you're love of movies will probably come back once you're fully settled.

The only other suggestion I have is maybe go to the theater? It'll be a much more immersive experience that won't have you so easily distracted.

I'd say it's just a phase dude. There was a point last year when the last thing I wanted to do was watch a movie. I went around two months and only ended up watching one film. The desire to watch films came back however and now i'm watching more than i've ever done prior.I think once you're more adjusted to your job then want to watch films will slowly creep back in.

I believe you have answered your own question. Reread just the parts that I bolded.

It seems that your job is stressing you and at night when you try to watch a movie your mind is going a million miles an hour thinking about your job. This has happened to me too.

It will get better! It might take a few weeks or even a couple of months but eventually you'll learn to shut off your 'job thoughts' when you are home.

Most likely you're just busy and getting bogged down with other things, I don't blame you

I remember this. I had no internet for quite a while, saving up to find a place to rent. Same recommendations, but more difficult to watch movies, even though I "expanded", but it's deciding/finding movies that is part of the problem. I actually came online to find a movie, couldn't, and now ... could go back to the French doc on TCM to find another movie.

Since I take my movie reviews seriously, I occasionally set goals so that I can educate myself in topics I want to discuss later. For example, I'm currently focusing on one Spike Lee movie a day until I feel properly educated in his works, and I'll probably write a review for each one.


In fact, I usually set goals based on directors, because I have a log of every movie I ever seen, and I keep score charts for directors depending on how good or bad their movies are. This also helps me keep track of how educated I am in each director's history.

Yeah, as the intensity of my work escalated over the last decade so did my ability to watch movies dwindle. The days when I could watch 3 movies in a day on the weekend and plan on watching a movie almost every night during the week are long gone. When I spend 8-11 hours at work and come home and eat dinner, I just don't have the focus, the attention remaining to take on a film the way I like to engage with a film. And I don't like to watch movies unless I feel like I'm in a headspace to engage with them.
In short, AF, yes, I get it.

Interesting. I’ve spent years in an incredibly stressful job, legal sector, daily bloodbaths, but I always watched films, even at work. I’m fortunate/privileged in that I never remotely cared for my job, so I don’t have anything to stop me.

The only way I could get through some shows is while writing something for work. Can be quite good for my concentration, but I recognise this is a bit crazy.

I feel ya. I've been a bit burt out on watching movies for almost the entire year, where I mostly didn't watch anyhing except Hackers. Even today, I do watch many movies since spooky season, but I pretty much always have to be doing something at the same time. I have the movie on 2/3 of my monitor, and usually a browser on the other third. I think it'll come back that I can focus on a long, slow movie and just watch it without distractions, but that isn't now.

I get in moods where I would rather watch a TV series than a movie due to length of time. I really dislike watching movies at home because I get distracted and go do something that I think about. With tv series on streaming services, it's no big deal, I can pause it and come back to it.

I love movies but at times, have no desire to sit at home through a whole 2 hours. I would rather be at the cinema watching them.

I was actually just thinking about this the other day on a walk. What I came up with was, focusing your attention for 90+ minutes of something while trying to immerse yourself into fantasy takes discipline, and you can fall out of this discipline quite easily.

What I'm doing to get this discipline back is 1. Try to see more movies in the theater where distractions are diminished by force, i.e, the rules. 2. Schedule a time to watch a movie at home when I'm most likely not going to be interrupted. 3. Turn off the phone while watching a movie. It's odd, because turning a phone off at the theater seems so natural and easy, but doing it at home feels almost negligent. It all boils down to discipline.

Anyway, I hope this helps somebody because it's helping me.

Have you tried opening your eyes? Or just not being blind?

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Thanks again, Mr Portridge.

"Ah yes, I forgot to flog my slave today!"

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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.

I have a hard time because they're so bad.

My hectic life schedule has not affected my desire and ability to watch movies. But my hectic life schedule and the outrageous inflation of movie tickets has destroyed my ability to watch movies in the theater.

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"This is that human freedom, which all boast that they possess, and which consists solely in the fact, that men are conscious of their own desire, but are ignorant of the causes whereby that desire has been determined." -Baruch Spinoza

This isn't quite the topic, I guess, but I am kinda shocked at how insouciant I've become about when I see something. There are very few films (a couple a year, maybe) that I feel I have to see right away, and only a couple dozen that I want to see right away when they're available from home. Films I really am interested in, and strongly anticipate loving, even.

I think it's probably a mix of a) pandemic hangover habits and b) the sheer tonnage of extremely watchable things available, which reaches a point where you just make peace with the idea of there being great stuff you haven't seen yet and you just get to it when you get to it.

Also, simply running a forum about movies consistently eats into my time to actually experience them.