I don't know how to know

Instead of introducing writer-director Adam Brooks's film Definitely, Maybe (2008) with the regular movie title and filmmaker's name that I use for film reviews on this blog, I decided to make an exception this time. Then the question arose - is this film worthy of an exception? A quick skim through Google, IMDB and Wikipedia revealed that although it was released around Valentine's Day this year, the so-called rom-com indeed fared well with the critics. Some even went to the extent of calling it a 'sophisticated chick flick' or a 'seriocom'.

Pre-decided genres, new classifications and critics' opinions aside, what did I think of this film? Aware of the gushing honesty of my next comment, I must now reveal that I felt more than I thought. Even intellectual gems like one of the lead female character's declaration to politcal consultant Will Hayes ('I don't know how to know') evoked an embodied rather than a cerebral response in me. I did not sit down and ponder over the philosophical implications of not knowing, or the historical antecedents of the science of ontology, or the postmodern anarchy resulting from a generation faced with too much choice. Embarking on the film's dialectical journey of the despair of succesive heartbreaks and the hope of potential discovery, I was swayed, moved, tossed and turned until the destination beckoned. And it was a sweet end. Realistic or willing suspension of disbelief? I'll tell you when I know how to know.