Screen as shelter: how cinema can help you escape from the troubles of the world

Wintertime is the best time to find yourself in the cinema: it’s warm, it’s fun and it provides that little bit of escapism that everyone needs when there’s only daylight for around for 0.3 seconds a day. Not to mention some of the best films of the year are flooding the screens because marketing people know we need something to do on a cold Tuesday now that Bake Off has finished. 

Screen is a shelter to me because it’s nice to have something as mundane as going to the movies to look forward to. Seriously, sitting down with a big bag of popcorn and a coke zero (both from Tesco I’m not made of money) knowing the only thing you have to do for the next two hours is sit and watch something is honestly heavenly. 

Some people say cinema is dying, but I’ve got to disagree, as long as there’s something to see I will be dragging my flatmate down the road to Cineworld to see it. Cinemagoing is a favourite activity of ours, particularly in assignment season. The bliss of completely switching your ‘uni-brain’ off and escaping into another world, the world of cinema, is a perfect break from deadline stress. 

It's not only me that thinks cinema is the route to escapism. MediCinema, a charity dedicated to bringing the power of cinema to patients in hospitals, believes in this ideal. You may remember a few years ago when Simon Pegg, Vue and MediCinema teamed up to make an inspiring short film advertising MediCinema and lording the true power of film. This kind of message is not only important but shows that cinema really can be a shelter for anyone. Even if it’s only for a few hours, the big screen is a distraction and an escape that I think we all need from time to time.