Welcome to The Main Character Effect!

Ever been told you’re too much?

Too intense. Too emotional. Too obsessed with movies no one else understands?

Same.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped shrinking my too-much-ness — and started telling the story only I was meant to tell.

Hi, I’m Lisa Hatzenbeller — lifelong movie lover and creator of The Main Character Effect, a space where movies, memory, and meaning collide.

Somewhere between memorizing Oscar stats and overanalyzing movie endings at 2AM, I realized something:
— We don’t just return to great movies because they’re entertaining.
— We return because they hold mirrors to our lives.

But this isn’t just about movies.
It’s about identity, self-worth, and finally stepping into the role you were always meant to play.

There was a time I faded into the background — not because I didn’t have a story, but because I didn’t think anyone wanted to hear it.

I quieted my voice. Cropped myself out of the frame.
Maybe you’ve done that too.

I’ve always loved movies — not just as art, but as mirrors.
Messy, beautiful, romantic, painful mirrors.

For years, I didn’t have the words to explain how deeply they hit me — how a single quote could wreck me, or how a soundtrack could transport me back to the version of me who still believed in magic.

When life cracked me open, movies helped me put the pieces back together.

That’s the heart of The Main Character Effect.

It’s not just a brand. It’s a belief. A promise.
That you can take up space.
That your feelings aren’t “too much.”
That healing can be cinematic.
And that your story — with all its messy plot twists and quiet moments — deserves the spotlight.

Whether it’s Oscar season deep-dives or one-line movie moments that shatter you, this space was created to honor the intersection of storytelling and self-discovery.

Some posts will be short bursts. Others, long reflections.
Some might make you laugh. Others might make you cry.
But all of it? Honest.

This is the start of something new.
Not polished. Not perfect. But real.

This space is for anyone who’s ever been told they were too sensitive, too nostalgic, too intense, too much.

It’s for the romantics.
The overthinkers.
The movie nerds.
The memory hoarders.
And anyone who’s ever hit play on an old favorite just to feel okay again.

Here, we honor all of it:
— The movie quotes that cracked you open
— The reel-worthy moments of your past
— The parts of your story you’re still rewriting

This is a cinematic lens on real life —
With space for your story to take center stage.

Because you weren’t too much.
You just weren’t the main character — yet.
But that changes now.

Welcome to your arc.
Welcome to the stage.
Welcome to The Main Character Effect.

Your Story! Your Stage!

You weren’t too much.
You just weren’t the main character — yet.