Time passes and sometimes that feels inexplicably sad. Top Gun, the movie was released in 1986 just as I was about to embark on my childrearing years. The release of Top Gun Maverick, this year, when I no longer have the same familial responsibilities is a marker of some sort. The freedom of Youth relinquished willingly and excitedly to form a family and then the evolution of old age and freedom because that family no longer needs you to be that responsible. Me and Maverick have had the same career trajectory too. He is still ‘just’ a Captain because he was always better at the job he loved than promotion. I never progressed much either, because I also enjoyed the job, but also because in 1986 having a child was not the best career move for a woman. Me and Maverick just bobbing along at the same level for 36 years. What a strange parallel!

Beyond that strange gap of 36 years Top Gun Maverick is a rare thing. A Sequel that is possibly better than the original. It was a bit of a weepy for me. Maybe my brain realised I was witnessing more than just a film, before I did.