Seeing a movie is a perfect solo activity

Long before I dreamed of writing about pop culture, I was a fan of the movie date.

Beverly Cleary’s young adult novel “Fifteen” captured the ritual perfectly; after reading it as a child I dreamed about what it would be like to go to a movie and then get an ice cream soda afterward. In college, I went to Grauman’s Chinese Theater for the first time with a date, who delighted in walking me through the extravagant gate out front and watching me marvel at the baroque wallpaper and seemingly endless auditorium. I have a soft spot for “Argo,” Ben Affleck’s middling spy drama, because my husband and I saw it on our first date.

But if I really want to see a movie, there’s nothing better than sneaking off to the theater by myself, preferably in the middle of the day when the cinema’s likely to be pretty empty.

The problem with seeing a movie on a date is the movie becomes subordinate to the date. Rather than giving your full attention to what’s happening onscreen, maybe you’re wondering if you’re going to hold hands, or you’re feeling the weight of their arm across your shoulder.

You’re sharing popcorn, or your fingers bump when you both reach for a Twizzler at the same time.

And even if you aren’t distracted by these little zaps of physical electricity, the way you process a movie on a date is inevitably shaped by the discussion to come. I like this, but will she like it? I hate this, but will he? How could anyone think that was romantic, or smart, or suspenseful, or satisfying? If I talk about the cinematography, is he going to think I’m pretentious?

If I don’t talk about the cinematography, will she think I’m dumb? I wish I was at “Star Wars.” I wish he was someone who wanted to see “Star Wars.”

No, if you really want to get lost in a movie — and have an aesthetic experience that will be yours and yours alone — the only way to see a movie is by yourself.

There’s something singularly decadent about the other pleasures of going to the movies by yourself. Not that anyone ought to feel shamed about enjoying an enormous tub of popcorn or a movie-sized soda on their own, but there’s a particular delight in not having to share your treats, or being observed while you eat them. If going to the movies alone is a chance not to pay attention to someone else’s reactions, it’s also a chance not to have someone else reacting to you, whether you’re laughing at a stupid but irresistible joke, or eating an entire box of Junior Mints during the movie’s first act.

The only way to have truly private responses is to create space for ourselves to be alone with art.

Going to the movies by yourself is an indulgence. But it’s also the best way to really see a film, and maybe even to catch a little glimpse of your inner self in your reaction to it.