NASHVILLE, TN — Darren Okafor, 38, of Nashville, arrived at a Sunday matinee screening of The Brutalist armed with a legal pad, two pens, and a reading light clipped to a spiral notebook, determined to finally watch a film the way it deserved to be watched.

Three and a half hours later, Okafor emerged with detailed notes on cinematographic composition, recurring architectural motifs, and what he described as “a possible through-line involving the color gray,” alongside a complete inability to describe the plot or name any character beyond “the main one.”

“I think I really engaged with it on a deeper level than most people,” said Okafor, reviewing his notes the following morning. “Like, most viewers just watch it. I was processing it in real time.” He paused. “I do wish I knew what happened at the end.”

“He texted me six bullet points about negative space in post-war cinema. I asked him what the movie was about. He said he’d have to rewatch it to answer that.”

His wife, Camille Okafor, 36, confirmed she had received the bullet points unprompted at 11:47 PM.

Okafor has since purchased the Criterion Blu-ray, a companion essay collection, and a second legal pad. He plans to rewatch the film “for comprehension” sometime before the end of the year, after which he intends to write up his notes from the first viewing in a more organized format.

At press time, Okafor had spent four hours annotating his original notes and had not yet pressed play.