--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Cinema is empathy machinery, and we…" description: "\"Cinema is empathy machinery, and we multiply our life experience through cinema. When it is good cinema, it almost counts as a personal experience.\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/sebastian-lelio-12337_cinema_cinema-is-empathy-machinery-and-we-multi_169427.jpg" --- # Cinema is empathy machinery, and we multiply our life… ![“Cinema is empathy machinery, and we multiply our life experience through cinema. When it is good cinema, it almost counts as a personal experience.” quote by Sebastian Lelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/sebastian-lelio-12337_cinema_cinema-is-empathy-machinery-and-we-multi_169427.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/sebastian-lelio-12337_cinema_cinema-is-empathy-machinery-and-we-multi_169427.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/sebastian-lelio-12337_cinema_cinema-is-empathy-machinery-and-we-multi_169427.jpg) > “Cinema is empathy machinery, and we multiply our life experience through cinema. When it is good cinema, it almost counts as a personal experience.” [Sebastian Lelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-lelio/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cinema lets us feel and understand lives beyond our own, expanding personal insight and emotional range. **In simple terms:** Films broaden our empathy and life experience. Key Takeaway Seek movies that challenge your perspective. Themes empathy art experience culture psychology Mood reflective inspired Type analytical contemplative When to use this quote - watching foreign films - film discussion groups - personal reflection after movies Key Concepts narrative immersion emotional resonance perspective taking Questions to Reflect On - What film changed your view of others? - How do you apply cinematic insights to real life? A Different Perspective May not replace lived experience, can be misinterpreted. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-experience/) [Personal experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-experience/) ## Related quotes > [Good cinema is good cinema. It makes you feel like you need to work. Just yesterday I saw a good film, but even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/good-cinema-is-good-cinema-it-makes-you-feel-like-you-need-to-work/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [In the vast majority of movies, everything is done for the audience. We are cued to laugh or cry, be frightened or relieved; Hitchcock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/in-the-vast-majority-of-movies-everything-is-done-for-the-audience-we/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [For me and my films, I want my audience to experience cinema in its full glory. It's not just visual, it's audio as well.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/for-me-and-my-films-i-want-my-audience-to-experience-cinema-in-its/) [James Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/) > [It is important that alongside the blockbusters there are stories that can inspire and audiences can experience together in the cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-chadwick/it-is-important-that-alongside-the-blockbusters-there-are-stories/) [Justin Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-chadwick/) > [Why do people go to the cinema? What takes them into a darkened room where, for two hours, they watch the play of shadows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/why-do-people-go-to-the-cinema-what-takes-them-into-a-darkened-room/) [Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/) > [I'm less interested in cinema, and more interested in the experience of cinema approaching the experience of reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/i-m-less-interested-in-cinema-and-more-interested-in-the-experience/) [RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/) > [I think the long-term effect of video on cinema is good in that what we are now getting up there on the screen is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-macbeth/i-think-the-long-term-effect-of-video-on-cinema-is-good-in-that-what/) [Ann Macbeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-macbeth/) > [Even within escapist cinema, if you find a good story to tell, it will do well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farhan-akhtar/even-within-escapist-cinema-if-you-find-a-good-story-to-tell-it-will/) [Farhan Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farhan-akhtar/) > [I always think about visual comedy. 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Good work is coming to people who are not conventionally good looking like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madhur-mittal/luckily-there-is-a-wind-of-change-happening-in-hindi-cinema-good-work/) [Madhur Mittal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madhur-mittal/) > [That's the thing with independent cinema: They all get good reviews, and they don't make money. Some of them are good. Some are great.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-englund/that-s-the-thing-with-independent-cinema-they-all-get-good-reviews/) [Robert Englund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-englund/) > [There are only two types of cinema - good or bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yash-chopra/there-are-only-two-types-of-cinema-good-or-bad/) [Yash Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yash-chopra/) > [I watch all kinds of Indian cinema. There are many good films in Bengali, Marathi and Malayalam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prosenjit-chatterjee/i-watch-all-kinds-of-indian-cinema-there-are-many-good-films-in/) [Prosenjit Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prosenjit-chatterjee/) ## More by Sebastian Lelio > [We all have a potential revolutionary energy inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-lelio/we-all-have-a-potential-revolutionary-energy-inside/) [Sebastian Lelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-lelio/) > [The idea behind 'Gloria' was to take a secondary character - the aunt, the mother - and stay with her as she becomes our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-lelio/the-idea-behind-gloria-was-to-take-a-secondary-character-the-aunt-the/) [Sebastian Lelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-lelio/) > [There's something about using the cinematic device as a tool to connect with dimensions of the world that you don't know too well, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-lelio/there-s-something-about-using-the-cinematic-device-as-a-tool-to/) [Sebastian Lelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-lelio/) > [Chilean society is conservative, but U.S. society is puritanical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-lelio/chilean-society-is-conservative-but-u-s-society-is-puritanical/) [Sebastian Lelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-lelio/) > [I was writing when I was very young, and then I became interested in everything - I wanted to do photography. I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-lelio/i-was-writing-when-i-was-very-young-and-then-i-became-interested-in/) [Sebastian Lelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-lelio/) > [I wanted to be a poet. I wrote from ages 15 to 22, but I left it because I discovered, and fell in love with, cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-lelio/i-wanted-to-be-a-poet-i-wrote-from-ages-15-to-22-but-i-left-it/) [Sebastian Lelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-lelio/) > [I don't come from a rich family, but my parents are professionals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-lelio/i-don-t-come-from-a-rich-family-but-my-parents-are-professionals/) [Sebastian Lelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-lelio/) > [Fashion is totally political, the icon of a political system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-lelio/fashion-is-totally-political-the-icon-of-a-political-system/) [Sebastian Lelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-lelio/) > [I have never been religious, but I've seen the strength of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-lelio/i-have-never-been-religious-but-i-ve-seen-the-strength-of-it/) [Sebastian Lelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-lelio/) > [When you're filming, not everything is rational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-lelio/when-you-re-filming-not-everything-is-rational/) [Sebastian Lelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-lelio/) > [In Latin America, cinema has always been a bourgeois activity, I guess, as it is everywhere. It's just a stupidly expensive art form, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-lelio/in-latin-america-cinema-has-always-been-a-bourgeois-activity-i-guess/) [Sebastian Lelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-lelio/) > [To me, there was something moving about the idea of telling the story of a lady who is, in a way, a forgotten character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-lelio/to-me-there-was-something-moving-about-the-idea-of-telling-the-story/) [Sebastian Lelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-lelio/) > [This idea of walls, segregation, labels, and 'You against us' and 'We are superior and you are inferior.' Which people are legitimate? Which relationships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-lelio/this-idea-of-walls-segregation-labels-and-you-against-us-and-we-are/) [Sebastian Lelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-lelio/) > [I grew up surrounded by strong women, and that was a very strong influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-lelio/i-grew-up-surrounded-by-strong-women-and-that-was-a-very-strong/) [Sebastian Lelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-lelio/) > [When you're filming, you're blind. But if you follow what really moves you, then you operate from a place of hope: maybe that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-lelio/when-you-re-filming-you-re-blind-but-if-you-follow-what-really-moves/) [Sebastian Lelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-lelio/) [Explore all 55 Sebastian Lelio quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-lelio/) ## More Cinema quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/there-was-a-time-in-the-1980s-when-i-worked-in-22-films-a-year/) [Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/) [Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) Jessica Yu > [I am not interested in churning out a certain number of films every year. For me, it's about the quality of work. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepika-padukone/i-am-not-interested-in-churning-out-a-certain-number-of-films-every/) [Deepika Padukone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepika-padukone/) [Browse all 23,940 Cinema quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Cinema is empathy machinery, and we multiply our life experience through cinema. 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