The Last Movie That I Watched with My Dad in a Theatre Was Logan

About a month ago, my dad was admitted to the hospital due to what appeared to be a severe exhaustion. Things took the worst turn as he was diagnosed with leukemia and swiftly contracted a lung infections. Within a week, his condition dove into the abyss.

He was a tough old man, though. Despite his condition, my dad was still very communicative and mentally sprightly. He passed away on my mom’s arms since his last request was to lean on her while she read him prayers. It brought me peace that my dad passed away peacefully, without pain, and was also surrounded by family.

. . . excluding me.

Meanwhile, I was at my apartment in New York when everything happened. Everything happened so quickly that I didn't have the time to book a flight back home. At the same time, I was processing the massive amount of information, the worries, and the wave of past guilts. Then, my sister called, and that was it. By the time I arrived in Jakarta, my dad was already six feet under.

In the past three weeks, I have been searching for my last great moment with dad. The last time I saw him? Last year in August during Eid. I'm sure that something memorable happened then, but my mind was too clouded to find it. The last time I spoke to him? Probably a few months ago, and it was about his usual “pray for success” shpeal.

I thought desperately, “There has to be one momentous moment between him and I. Think!” I pressed my hands long and hard to my head and what came up surprised me.

“. . . the last movie that I watched with my dad in a theatre was Logan,” I chuckled as my cheeks welled up.

There was something serendipitous about coming to this realization. I have always been a comic book fan, so this superhero flick was right up my alley. Even though my dad wasn't the same, he enjoyed great movies, especially classic westerns. Logan was a combination of the two, and it couldn't be more perfect for us. The fact that the movie was superb was icing on the cake.

Around this time last year, my dad came to visit me, and I took him to see Logan a week after it premiered. I didn't expect him to be so familiar with the movie, but he casually mentioned what had happened in the previous X-Men movies. Naturally, I was delighted that my dear old dad, someone who was conservative enough to think that comic book movies are just trendy blockbusters, would pay attention to the details of the franchise. Who knew?

So we went to see Logan, and my dad and I did not speak to each other for a solid ten minutes after the credits rolled. He broke the ice by letting out one of the heaviest sighs I have ever heard from him, “Oof, man. That was exhausting.” I couldn’t help but laugh while noticing the old man fixing his glasses and wiping his tears.

Dad loved the movie and spoke in great lengths to praise the portrayal of mentor-mentee/father-daughter relationships. Charles reminded him so much of his own father, and Laura was an optimistic and caring character that my dad hoped for from his children. Much like Logan, dad accomplished awesome feats for his family, but he sacrificed many and held his own heavy bucket of guilts, some of which might never come to light. Much to my surprise, we had a healthy discussion about the movie because my father and I were not exactly close and disagreed on many things. However, talking about this was something that I would fondly remember forever.

I don't think I will ever get over the fact that I was not around when my dad passed away and when he was buried. However, if there is anything that I can take heart from, then it would be that one of our last moments was to watch one helluva great movie together.