Writing Prompt 10: Cinema
Expose the impact of consumption: overflowing bins, cluttered shelves, wasted food. Reflect on society's habits in a poignant letter, blog, or story. It's time to address our environmental footprint.
And right here lies the problem — plastic cups, straws and bottles; layers upon layers of paper bags, takeout boxes and half eaten food.
So much rubbish, the bin is overflowing and the only place left for the people’s litter after the movie is crammed on the shelf above.
What does this scene say about our society's consumption habits and disregard for the environment?
Write about your reflections in the form of an angry letter to a local politician, or a thought-provoking blog post, or a passionate short story exploring the consequences of our actions on the planet. Fiction or non-fiction. The choice is yours.
Until next time.
An Odour of Cheese
Amy turned to the side, slipping passed a variety of knees to find her seat in the middle of the row.
Soda bubbled up the hole where the straw was seated in her cup and swirled around the gutter of the plastic lid. Pieces of popcorn escaped from the top of the large container she was carrying, leaving a trail behind her on the floor. She found her seat and sat down, balancing her food and beverage items in one hand and the crook of her arm as she flipped down the seat with the other.
She placed her drink in the holder of the armrest and the container of popcorn on the floor before wriggling off her jacket and tucking it around her waist. Her scarf had tightened around her neck. She pulled it away and let it pile on her lap. As she did, her foot stretched out and caught the box of popcorn tipping it over and spilling half its contents on the sticky, rough carpet.
Damn, she said under her breath.
She scooped some of the puffed kernels back into the container before picking it up and pushing the rest of the spillage under the seat in front of her.
The woman sat next to her and slurped on her supersize coke. An odour of cheese nachos filled the auditorium along with the sound of rustling and chewing. The film was about to begin.
First posted October 2019 // Photo: Tanya Clarke - After Maleficent, Cineplex 2019
