As if a documentary on American public education wasn’t romantic enough, a Guttenberg resident proposed marriage to his girlfriend during an outdoor screening of the film on Wednesday, July 27 in front of hundreds of strangers.
Frank Amaya arranged for a six-minute proposal video to air during Hoboken’s “Movies Under the Stars,” a continuous summer event that screens free movies at Pier A Park on First street and Sinatra Drive.
His video, called “Life Rescheduled,” screened before “Waiting for Superman,” an award-winning documentary analyzing the issues in American public education.
An unusual first date
Frank first met his fiancée Meagan Gutierrez during a trip to his native country.
“We met last July,” said Frank, adding that the two had been on a missionary trip in El Salvador. “We hosted a sports camp where we were able to serve kids through sports and tell them about Jesus.”
“It was just mind-blowing what happened.” – Meagan Gutierrez
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“We actually met thousands and thousands of miles away, even though we lived only 20 minutes from each other,” Amaya said. “It wasn’t until I actually came back to New Jersey that I thought about pursuing something with her.”
A unique idea
Amaya got the idea to propose in a video after Gutierrez, a family and child studies major, said she wanted to see “Waiting for Superman” at the park in Hoboken.
“Hoboken has played a vital part to our relationship,” said Amaya. “Our first date was there. I figured it would be appropriate for us.”
His next task? To get permission to have his video aired during “Movies Under the Stars.”
That was easy enough, because Geri Fallo, director of cultural affairs for the city of Hoboken, was very open to the idea.
“Gerri Fallo, who hosted the event, was very generous,” said Amaya.
Amaya next teamed up with Lifting the Veil Productions, a company owned by two of his close friends. The friends wrote and directed “Life Rescheduled.”
“[The film] is about a 24-year-old bachelor who lives just an ordinary, mundane life doing quirky things,” said Amaya. The video includes a fictional voiceover from him at age 74, looking back on the day he proposed 50 years ago.
He added, “We actually got a couple of scenes with her in it without even knowing.”
The last scene of the movie included the actual proposal.
“Finally, I get advice from my friends and they ask me if I’m ready to pop the question.” Amaya continued, “At the end I look into the camera and say, ‘Yeah, I’m ready to pop the question right now.’ ”
The premiere
Before the film, Amaya took Gutierrez sightseeing around New York, which she claimed was her favorite date.
Then, it was on to the movies.
“I was a little scared,” said Amaya, “I figured halfway through, she already knew what was going on.”
“My heart was racing throughout as soon as it began,” said Gutierrez, “but then he started saying things about me and I was thinking to myself, ‘Is this it? No, this is this not it.’ ”
Amaya found the live action coda to the film slightly daunting.
“I called her up to the front, which I was nervous about, because she’s really reserved and shy,” said Amaya. “I didn’t know if she would come to the front in front of hundreds of people.”
Amaya was able to get Gutierrez up to the stage, where he dropped to one knee and she agreed to marry him.
“Waiting for Superman,” certain to put the audience in a different mood, was almost halted due to the buzz of the crowd over the romantic short feature.
Ironically, Gutierrez didn’t have the chance to stay and watch the documentary.
“I didn’t see it,” she said. “We were so excited. I started calling people and we didn’t stay. It was just mind-blowing what happened.”
Stephen LaMarca may be reached at slamarca@hudsonreporter.com.