The Crow and Comfort by Rie Sheridan Rose

In May of 1994, I fell in love with a dead man. Sitting in a darkened theater, mesmerized by the action on the screen, I was watching The Crow, starring Brandon Lee, who had been killed making the film.

I was profoundly moved by the film. I saw it nineteen times in twenty days…or maybe the other way around. It was devastating to me that this talented young man would never make another movie—but he had already made a few, so I watched all of those.

But there were only a handful, so I took the next obvious step and watched all of his father’s movies. And Bruce Lee led me to Chow Yun Fat, which led me into the rich tradition of Hong Kong film—blazing action, “walking on grass” wire-work fantasies, screwball comedies…

Before I knew it, I was drawn entirely into the study of Chinese culture. So much so, that I went back to college for a degree in Asian Studies. I spent the next three years immersed in the Chinese language, learning Mandarin and attempting Cantonese. I even took a year of Classical Chinese, reading literature in the original language.

I studied Indian gods, and Japanese literature. I watched films from all over the Asian continent. It gave me a greater understanding of Eastern history, and how it interacted with our Western culture. The experience broadened my view of the world. By the time I graduated in 1997, I felt that I had really stepped outside my comfort zone and become a different person.

I have lost a lot of my language skills over the intervening twenty years, but I can still recognize a word here and there in a film or television show. I still love Chinese food, and hope to visit Xi’an one day.

Finding a passion and following it is always a good thing. I was already thirty-five when I went back to school. I am hoping to do it again in the future. Maybe for Anthropology.

Take a chance…step outside your comfort zone.

The Crow is still my favorite movie. I think it is about time to watch it again.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rie Sheridan Rose’s prose appears in numerous anthologies, including Killing It Softly Vol. 1 & 2, Hides the Dark Tower, Dark Divinations, and Startling Stories. Her poetry has appeared in Speculative Poets of Texas Vol. 1; My Cruel Invention; Texas Poetry Calendars of 2016 and 2019; and Untimely Frost among others. In addition, she has authored twelve novels in multiple genres, seven poetry chapbooks, and dozens of song lyrics. She is a native of Texas and lives there with her husband and several spoiled cats. When not writing or editing, she is usually walking—being a Virtual Race addict. She is a member of HWA, SFWA, and SFPA. Her website is www.riewriter.com.

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