What is a film that you completely reversed course on as a viewer? Perhaps you hated it at one point in life, but after watching it again, you’ve decided you love it. Maybe it’s the other way around. Was it incredible in your childhood and now, not so much?

Here’s mine.

I watched Rebel Without a Cause in high school. The perfect time, right? I was a teenager and a huge Natalie Wood fan. It should have hit.

Kids, maybe I was an obnoxious youth, but I hated it. I didn’t get James Dean’s appeal. I thought the kids were annoying. Nothing about this film worked for me.

I sucked it up though to rewatch the classic drama in college. It is a film school 101 viewing after all. I was shocked to find out my whole opinion changed. I was pulled in and intrigued. The people, the stories. The history. It was all different. Now, Rebel Without a Cause is one of my favorite films.

Now, not all films are going to work for everyone. Life changes, perspective evolves, and as people we are never quite the same. It makes sense that works of media can evolve right along with us. It may be the same film, but in the grand scheme of things, we are inherently different. We have the ability to see things differently.

When did this happen for you?