You know, when you’re watching a movie, and when something bad happens to the main character, YOU feel it; almost as if it was happening to you. Sometimes you have to think, “This is not happening to me”, but then you can get into movies where there’s a scene or story that reminds you of what you’re going through, or have gone through.
It doesn’t have to be the protagonist, but it might be just as interesting if you can name a support actor who you’re “in”.
I’m not sure I completely understand the question. I mean why else would you watch a movie, if you don’t identify with any of the characters? Admittedly for me it isn’t always the main character. I don’t try to extract myself from the identifying, though, and can’t relate to wanting to, are you saying you tend to feel squirmy when you do? Back to “why else would you watch a movie if you can’t identify with any of the characters?” … it’s never (for me) about the situation they’re in, having a character I can identify with lets me visualize / vicariously experience a situation I haven’t personally been in; but it’s about how they are as a person, if the character, well, umm, character is very unlike me, I won’t be able to relate to their reactions and feelings and behavior.
And are you asking for examples, as in “Please list the rare movie where you found yourself vicariously feeling like the character”? It would be a more interesting list to ask "Please list the movies where you found yourself unable to relate vicariously to any of the characters, 'cause as I said, isn’t that what you expect to do when you watch a movie?
I know I’m unusual, but I don’t feel the character’s emotions when I watch a movie.
I observe them.
This is why I’ve always hated TV humor that takes the form of embarrassing or humiliating someone. Being someone who is easily embarrassed, it stabs cringingly right to the core of me vicariously and I cannot watch any longer. Even as a kid, I had to walk out of the room when seeing a character get humiliated on screen; I just couldn’t take things like that.
Many years ago, while watching “Out of Africa” in a theater, I wished for the sweet release of my own death.
It’s much stronger for me when I’m reading a book than when I’m watching a movie.
God yes. This, 10,000 times over, this. In fact I’ve always called it “cringe and wince humor” and I detest it. Making the character detestable doesn’t help — I don’t want to see Barney Fife or whats-his-name from The Office do awkward clueless social self-immolations even if I don’t like their characters.
Yeah, I experience vicarious embarrassment, too. I hate shows that revolve around that.
As for identifying with a character in general, I do this, and it’s part of my enjoyment, and it can be a reason I stop watching a show or movie.
Some shows or movies never have a character I can identify with, so I never really get into it. Some shows are so into twists and shocking deaths, etc. that there isn’t a character that carries through, or that stays the kind of character I can identify with.
I’d say that may have happened with Game of Thrones for me. I may go back to it eventually, but when I cancelled cable several years ago, I found I didn’t need to sign up for HBO Max to keep watching it. I stopped caring, and maybe started wanting to not watch people I had liked or identified with be tortured, killed, or do awful things.
I’m very familiar with embarassment and humiliation, even mildly traumatized by past events of such nature, but I can still watch “cringe and wince” humour and enjoy it. I can certainly feel how mortifying it would be IRL, but take it as the simulation it is, I guess.
There’s a lot of movies where I’m detached… But if its a great movie with characters you’re rooting for, I sometimes have to remind myself, “This isn’t happening to ME!”