Today, movies are most often enjoyed on one’s cell phone or NetFlix account, alone and undisturbed. The Movie Club, in its first year, aims to change that with an open, social environment for students who love film.
Meeting twice a month on Wednesdays at 3:15 p.m. in the Brookline Access Television screening room, the Movie Club has a low-key appeal, said senior Camille Long, as well as a cozy environment, according to senior Denbaa Bat-Erdene.
The club stemmed from the ideas of its teacher adviser, librarian Lynne Cohen, who teaches the Film and Fiction class. The Movie Club is open to everyone interested.
The Movie Club is very student-oriented, with the members taking up most of the planning on themselves and even choosing the films, said Cohen, making it ideal for passionate students.
“The idea I really like is maybe a student likes a particular director, or a student likes a particular film, so they have some ownership over it,” Cohen said.
Long said that the club is perfect for cinephiles who are looking for a way to share their hobby.
“All the people who come are interested in movies, so people who are also interested, even just casually in movies, will find lots of people they can talk to,” she said.
The biggest draw is the social experience, according to Long, Cohen, and Bat-Erdene.
“It’s a really great club and a really good way to get to know people and find people who have a common interest,” Long said.
The meetings are designed to support socializing, according to Cohen, with the first 15 minutes devoted to catching up and having casual conversation, followed by viewing the film, and then some analytical discussion.
“It’s not just sitting back, having a few snacks and dispersing, but it’s also about the conversation afterwards,” Cohen said.
As it is in its first year, there are many ideas for larger-scale activities for the club, such as a screening in the quad, said Bat-Erdene and Long, as well as a movie set tour and Academy Awards-themed screenings, according to Cohen. Cohen also has ideas for theme months, such as politics for November and holidays for December.
The club’s openness makes it important to the school in today’s day and times, according to Cohen.
“What I’m really hoping is the idea that people all together watching a film, and enjoying it together on a big screen, and having an experience together, laughing together, and crying together, and reacting together, conversing together, I don’t want it to be lost in this time where you can sit and look at a movie on your cell phone,” Cohen said.
The club’s focus on student control enhances the social experience, said Cohen.
“You have a voice in what’s shown, so you can share your favorite films with other people, you can be introduced to films you never got to see before. No one’s telling you what to read or watch,” she said. “You have a voice, with like-minded people.”
