Introduction
The essay explores the importance of being able to love at the foundation of the 1993 film Groundhog Day. Auxiliary analytical articles on the psychology of relation were articles by Ken Page (“How to Love Yourself First”) and Ann Smith (“Love and Love-Ability”). The topic of the essay is considered relevant in the modern world, where people are trying to earn each other’s approval and love while forgetting to take care of themselves and develop themselves and their skills. The film Groundhog Day is demonstrated by the example of Phil how important it is for a person first to love and accept himself and then find the love of another person.
Main body
Love ability is the ability to please someone and be generally attractive in someone’s eyes. People are drawn to those they consider lovable: they trust such people and tend to spend a lot of time with them (Smith). The ability to love is the ability to become attached and the desire to take care of a person, to get to know him better. (Page). These concepts are intertwined with the ideas of self-love and self-acceptance.
In turmoil, worrying every day, like in groundhog day, Phil cannot find understanding with the woman he loves. He does not appreciate and love the world around him, and he is not interested in anything; Rita finds him repulsive and rejects him. Once Phil accepts the time loop and dedicates himself to development, he finds his love. Phil moves from his condition to the ability to love precisely through self-love and unlocking his potential.
When he learns to love the people around him, only then does the ability to love genuinely awaken him; and the people around him see it. People now find Phil lovable and attractive and are drawn to it. The feeling is mutual, as sullen, cold, and cynical Phil is also drawn to them and eager to help. He helps people he usually rejects and shuns, and he builds himself into the space and time given to him.
Conclusion
Groundhog Day vividly demonstrates, using the example of Phil, the story of a man who goes through a substantial evolution on the way from a caustic cynic to a loveable person who is ready to give love to others. As Phil’s example shows, the integral ability to love and be in harmony with people depends on the ability to love others and the ability to be loved.
Works Cited
Groundhog Day. Directed by Harold Ramis, screenplay by Danny Rubin, director’s cut, Columbia Pictures, 1993.
Page, Ken. “How to Love Yourself First.” Psychology Today, 2011, Web.
Smith, Ann. “Love and Love-Ability.” Psychology Today, 2015, Web.