An Animal Escape

In contrast with the caliginous sky, the luminous, fluorescent lights of blue and red color make the Petaluma Boulevard Cinemas Theater prominent at night. The thin, straight, flawless neon red light outlines the straight edge and sharp corners of the roof and over hangs. Neon blue, simple, block letters define the theater above the doors. The eight large, aluminum doors are security men in uniform with big windows and chilled handles. Glass, like a still pond of water, clear and reveals the stubble of red carpet blanketed by blue, monotonous swirls inside. The exterior walls plastered with retro swirls, make one’s eyes spin until they reach the center, polished tiles and rigid cement. Two symmetrical columns, wrapped with fluorescent red and blue lights, frame the theater. Standing tall, the theater lights up the streets of downtown Petaluma like Times Square lights up the streets of New York City.

A continuous motion of flashing lights surround the movie display, like lustrous lights on a Broadway sign, call the attention of the Petaluma citizens. The ticket booth, containing three young people working the windows, all dressed in a maroon polo with personalized nametags defining them. Microphones pressed against the ticket sellers face’s to communicate with the customers through protective glass. A small hole, fitting only part of a hand, allows the money and tickets to be exchanged between one another on the opposite sides of the booth without any true human contact. An alarmingly cold aluminum counter rests beneath the sellers elbow.

Rarely used, an electronic ticket booth stands misplaced in between the doors. Lined with yellow plastic, a touch screen lies on beige plastic. It is a self service option in lieu of standing in a long, heinous line to acquire tickets.

Restless people wait in line for their tickets, like zoo animals waiting in line to receive their daily feeding. Immense amounts of people, of all ages varying from infants to seniors stand outside the theater, so close to one another their shoulders scuff up against another with a sneeze, a twitch or any sudden movement. Some are in small groups of intimate friends chatting amongst themselves sounding like undistinguishable murmurs. Some stand there staring at their cell phones with their fingers gliding across the screen as they text. Some stand there with their arms folded in front of them, searching, worriedly up and down the street for their parent’s car, like a newborn puppy nudging toward the familiar scent of their mother.

The chaotic environment, noisy sounds and noteworthy smells of the movie theater on a Saturday night give off the vibe of the city life. Cars continuously pass by with unrecognizable lyrics blaring out of the window and screeches of tires peeling out after the stop sign. Sudden laughter and high-pitched screams evoked from loud teenagers compete with the sounds of repetitive clicking noises against pavement from high heels. An occasional church bell rings from an anonymous location causing one’s head to spin around in confusion. The almost instantly distinguishable smell of buttery popcorn from the popping kernels inside arises with every open and closed door. The stenches of a hard working day or perfume and cologne waft through the air as people walk by.

Reaching dusk, a group of girls around the age of seventh grade pile out of a silver Toyota each coming one after the other like ants marching towards a candy. After buying tickets, they stand in front of the entrance doors in an enclosed circle. A pale young girl, with blonde hair cupping her ears and a train of braces running along her hidden teeth, stands one leg in front of the other and her hand rested on her hip. Her hand abruptly slaps her thigh and her head tilts back, mouth wide open in hysterical laughter, looking like she is delighted by the simple desire to see a movie.

A movie is an escape, a way to forget. Attending a movie is a way to leave all your problems outside and walk into an unfamiliar room with no reference to your life at all. A room with an abnormally large screen to project an imaginative movie with softly coated comfortable seats to relax on. A movie is a way to engage one’s self in another life with other problems and concerns resulting in a forgetfulness of their own problems or concerns. It is often a way to delight in the joys of other’s victories and achievements or cry at the sadness of other’s loss or challenges.

-Emma