A nice group of tic movie buffs recently watched Hamnet for movie night, and I wanted to share my thoughts on this poignant film. To start, I found the first half a bit slow. It took its time to build the atmosphere, which, while beautifully crafted, left me feeling a tad restless. However, I was completely captivated by the cinematography. The visuals were stunning and that was enough to  draw me into the world of the story and keep me interested.

On the last Friday evening in November 4 TIC members met at Pathe to see the new and innovative movie, Here. The movie by director Robert Zemeckis, stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright (reunited from Forrest Gump). The film’s unique aspect is that it is all about ONE PLACE (=Here) with the camera sitting in one spot, with 1 angle the entire time. While the bulk of the movie was about the lives of Richard and Margaret in the living room of a house built in the early 19^th century, there were some flashbacks to previous owners of the house, as well as what was on that spot of land before the house was built, including a Native American tribe.

On Friday 22nd October, some members of TIC met at Cinecitta theater in the Willem II straat to watch Girls will be Girls. This Indian film was part of the theater’s 6th annual Cinecitta International Film Festival – CIFF. The movie, directed by Shuchi Talati, depicts the story of an Indian girl’s coming of age in a strict boarding school. It is a sensitive portrayal of how women negotiate with their sexual desires in a conservative society that polices women’s bodies.

On Friday evening, 6 TIC members braved the rainy and damp weather to gather at Cinecitta to see Firebrand. The film, the first English film by Brazilian film-maker Karim Aïnouz, was a period drama inspired by the lives of King Henry VIII and his last wife, Katherine Parr.  Alicia Vikander stars as Katherine, and an almost unrecognizable Jude Law plays Henry VIII. The story follows the Queen and dove deep into the life of a woman married to a tyrant.

Anne and I enjoyed this little jewel a lot on the last Friday of May, and yes, there were only two of us representing TIC. It was bit of disappointment in the beginning, but we enjoyed our movie night and each other’s company nevertheless. I had never heard about this movie before and did not have any idea what the movie was about. This lack of foreknowledge can be a good ingredient for a great movie experience.