Catharsis refers to a strong emotional release. It's the feeling you get after a good long cry, not always when we want it, but usually when we need it. One of the most common ways to achieve this feeling is through watching a film that resonates with you. It can be a movie that encapsulates your current grief or a series that makes you feel seen. One of the strange things about film is how the human condition can be so perfectly captured by an actor or actress, maybe even a director, who we would otherwise have nothing in common with. Though they seem to walk through life on a cloud they can show that they feel what we feel. Most people can't relate to Emma Stone owning houses and apartments throughout the country but they damn sure can relate to her character in La La Land when she finds a lost love.