Your opening is definitely in alignment with thoughts I've had on my mind this week. I move in and out of smoking cigarettes and right now I'm on the quitting train again. The main reason I'm quitting is that with the nicotine in my system and smoke in my lungs, I don't sleep as well and the my overall agitation skews the world in a negative fashion.

What I keep in mind when I'm feeling physically uncomfortable is that the meaning everything I experience has is a reflection of myself. Pain is pain of course and tragedies will always be difficult, but how I respond to those events will define the meaning that the experience has to me.

It is quite a thin line the difference between responding to something for what it is in a positive way and closing your eyes pretending it isn't even there.

Last thought, if you haven't read "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl, check it out. I wouldn't be surprised if the movie you described was loosely based on his book.

Take care fellow Steemian!