Seeking a Friend for the End of the World: Why I Love the Focus Films Production Company

Any movie that prominently features the record cover of Death of a Ladies Man by Leonard Cohen (the swooniest of the swoon-worthies) is okay in my book. Throw in some Herb Alpert tunes and I'm sold. I admit it; I can be won over by a soundtrack. But I didn't need to be for this one.

When Keira Knightley's character finally talks to her family on the phone, I burst into tears in the middle of the theater. I was one of three people in the audience and I don't think anyone saw me so I think my reputation as a curmudgeon is still intact. All that aside, one does not typically cry at comedies.

I was angry when Young Adult wasn't a comedy. But I'm glad that End of the World wasn't. It was poignant. And heartfelt. And touching. And sweet. And strange. And uncomfortable. And I could relate to the characters' general consternation and confusion about how to act when confronted with the knowledge that they and the rest of humanity would be eradicated in three weeks' time.

What do you do? It's a common enough question - the whole "what if" scenario. And most people, I think, arrive at the same conclusion: they would spend their last moments with the people they love. It isn't really that funny, the contemplation of the frailty of ourselves and our loved ones. End of the World treats its main characters' mortality with a sort of awkward tenderness, which elicits what I can only describe as the quintessence of saudade.

For some reason, it reminded me of a speech in Kissing Jessica Stein in which Jessica explains to a fellow why the first date that they are on will be their last.

I wonder every day if I am making a difference and if I will ever express the greatness within me, or if I will remain forever paralyzed by muddled madness inside my head. I've wept on every birthday I've ever had because life is huge and fleeting and I hate certain people and certain shoes and I feel that life is terribly unfair and sometimes beautiful and wonderful and extraordinary but also numbing and horrifying and insurmountable and I hate myself a lot of the time. The rest of the time I adore myself and I adore my life in this city and in this world we live in. This huge and wondrous, bewildering, brilliant, horrible world.

The whole quote is even better but I'm not here to review that film. It's just that in a way, Jessica is describing the same terrifying beauty of life depicted in End of the World.

So. Hmm. Looking for something funny to write here... I got bupkus. I should say at this point that the movie was not without its moments of levity though and they were good enough to soften some of the asteroid's blow.

I guess I'll leave you with this piece of advice, doled out by the character, Penny: "It's always better to sleep on the fire escape than have pity sex, I always say."

Truer words were never spoken.