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I saw The Big Short twice in theaters. Of all the films released this year that I promised that I would see twice, I select one with no post-apocalyptic wasteland or Millennium Falcon. No, I choose to re-watch the film with business suit clad men yelling at each other about interest rates and synthetic CDOs.

But, don’t be like me. Don’t watch this film expecting to understand the financial industry. Abbreviations, jargon, and explanations for financial activities in this movie make you feel overwhelmed and small. You must remember, however, the real point of the film. Every data point discussed in the financial collapse represents a person.

Every time I became tangled in what the financial industry is doing in The Big Short, I lost sight of the human story that makes this film impactful. You can be so tangled in understanding bonds, tranches, and subprime loans, like me, that you lose sight of why this film was made. Director Adam McKay could have made a documentary about the 2007 financial collapse—but he didn’t.

Whenever I left the theatre, I overheard one woman say to her friend that she lost $500,000 during American housing market collapse. Personalizing the individual losses during the 2007 financial collapse is the message of The Big Short, one that can be easily lost due to the smoke and mirrors of Wall Street. This film helps us realize how dangerous it is to depersonalize the financial industry.

Whether you keenly remember the events during this period or not, this film is a service to the American people. I mean this quite sincerely: The Big Short is mandatory viewing—twice in theaters or not.

Want to hear more of Alexandra’s thoughts on The Big Short? Check out the newest episode of Back to the Movies with Arthur and Caleb!