[Source: CNN Entertainment]

If anything especially notable happened between late July and December of last year, I can’t remember it. All I know is pink.

I was too busy spending my time with “Barbie.” I’ve seen the film upwards of 20 times since it premiered on July 21, 2023. Half of those viewings were in theaters with packed, enthusiastic crowds bedecked in pinks of all shades. It was sublime.

Watching “Barbie” so much defined the back half of my 2023. It was a reliable escape and a consistently good time, a cultural link I shared with nearly everyone in my life and almost something like an identity I could choose myself.

I’ve found no such “Barbie”-level cinematic event in 2024. And we could surely use it: This summer is decidedly bleak. The political climate is apocalyptic. It’s too hot to do almost anything other than go to the movies.

Revisiting “Barbie” a year on, I realized I love the film less than the phenomenon. The summer of “Barbie” was one of my happiest, when I felt truly connected to my fellow humans. Watching the film now only makes me miss my time in Barbie Land, before everything got real.