This week I interviewed a couple for my marriage film project. It was my first interview for this venture and it certainly has inspired me to gather momentum for more interviews—and more of them soon. Since I’m not yet in the filming stage, preliminary interviews are going to be quite valuable for determining how I proceed with my focus and production for this project.

While I can’t share many details about my interview with the couple here, I will say that these 2 people have gone through a great deal—positive and negative—together, and they could easily serve as a model for other couples and individuals. They married in the early 1960s in the U.S. and they’ve stayed married ever since, despite their challenges. Both shared that the most popular question they are asked is, “How have you stayed married for so long?”, to which they reply, “We didn’t get divorced.” I recognize that this seems like too simple of a formula. It’s not that this couple hasn’t struggled, but there is something about their individual earnestness that appears to be the key to their lasting union.

Now it’s time for me to explore this vast topic of marriage through more interviews, and in addition to that, I’ll be delving into our society’s collective conscious through pop culture and media. I am very curious as to what I’ll discover. Here’s to more investigation!