Sure, there's a few scenes before this in the film, to illustrate how miserable and isolated Harry is with his family in the Muggle world. But for all intents and purposes, this is where the story really starts. Harry's uncle Vernon has gone all paranoid and decides to take the entire family off the grid, which means in a tiny shack on a deserted island in the middle of a rainstorm. But since when has that ever stopped a wizard, even one who was kicked out of school at 13? (Did anyone ever apologize for that, anyway?) Just after midnight on Harry's eleventh birthday, Hagrid makes a pretty impressive entrance. As in, he knocks the door down. This is when Harry discovers that all of the weird things that he's been able to do his entire life are for a reason, that he has a place in the world and a community. More importantly, it's probably the first time that an adult has treated him affectionately in his entire life.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
