I’ve spent the past 24 hours watching Shia LaBeouf watch Shia LaBeouf movies and I regret nothing.
At noon on Nov. 10, the actor sat down in an aisle seat in a small New York City cinema to watch, in reverse chronological order, the 27 films he’s appeared in over the span of his career. Visitors were invited to join, but informed that while they were welcome to speak to LaBeouf, he was unlikely to respond – he’s in the “art zone,” theatre staff told the audience.
I’ve never in my life wanted to be in New York more than I do right now.
My love for Shia LaBeouf doesn’t stem from nostalgia, even though he starred in movies that clearly brought back cherished childhood memories – Transformers, obviously, and Holes, which was based on a book by one of my favourite authors when I was about 10 years old, Louis Sachar. I didn’t truly appreciate LaBeouf until early 2014, after his last bit of performance art, #IAMSORRY, and his appearance in an incredibly delightful video by Rob Cantor that tells the story of a cannibalistic LaBeouf attacking the song’s protagonist in the woods.
While #ALLMYMOVIES might not top the ‘Shia LaBeouf’ song as my favourite bizarre Shia-related stunt, I can’t deny that I’ve enjoyed following along the playlist and watching LaBeouf’s expressions change as he relives his past performances. Some, like Transformers 3, made him cover his face and eventually leave the theatre for almost an hour, but during Surf’s Up, he grinned and ate Sour Patch Kids and just, isn’t it great to be able to enjoy something you’ve created like that?
As an artist, the premise of LaBeouf’s project makes me cringe – I can honestly imagine nothing worse than sitting back and spending three straight days reading all of the garbage that I’ve written throughout my lifetime. But it’s interesting, and I can imagine that for the lucky New Yorkers who have been able to stop by the theatre (admission is free!) to catch a movie with Shia, the experience has been even more surreal – watching an actor on the big screen while sharing a tub of popcorn with that same person, in real life.
And I imagine it gives viewers a shock of realism that often doesn’t come from watching blockbuster films – the actors in those films are not characters they portray. Shia LaBeouf doesn’t fight robots or Nazis, and he’s not a murderous cannibal. He’s just a regular guy in a white hoodie, a cargo jacket and a beard, sitting on an uncomfortable seat in a small, dark theatre.
In an overly fake celebrity world, it’s nice to see a bit of human connection – even if it takes the form of what might be the most narcissistic movie-marathon ever.
