Ah, the magic of 209 W Houston Street. Moving pictures create four separate worlds in four separate theaters. The concentration of cinephile senior citizens almost offsets inevitable swarms of film bros. Most snack on popcorn sprinkled with Morton salt or 2001-acclaimed banana bread. These indistinct descriptions clearly characterize just one special place: Film Forum.
I stumbled upon my new favorite place not-at-all serendipitously. Film Forum, an independent theater established in 1970, is a time-honored institution. But, like the modern woman I am, my introduction to it came via an internet deep dive. My goal for the summer was to watch as many movies in theaters as I could. This all began with a trip to AMC for “Inside Out 2.” The outing reminded me of why I loved going to the movies. Experiencing something with a group of strangers, laughing, laughing at others’ laughter and watching the culmination of artists, actors and filmmakers’ hard work: it all seemed to be part of what life and art are for.
In fact, I loved the experience so much that as I began a long walk home, my first order of business was pulling out my phone and pulling up the calendar for Film at Lincoln Center. Fondly remembering the theater from Fieldston’s film fest, I purchased tickets for playwright Annie Baker’s “Janet Planet” the very next day. The film follows an eleven-year-old girl’s summer via three chapters marked by her mother’s companions. It was artful, touching and vaguely reminiscent of the childhood memories I associate with summer. “Janet Planet” also compelled me to explore the indie (and later revival) scene. My comprehensive Google search informed me there was no better place to do so than the theater I now frequent.
So, my love of Film Forum began. On my first visit, I saw “The Small Back Room” with a friend. The movie, courtesy of filmmaking duo Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell, is an adaptation of a 1943 novel. The story follows British World War II scientist Sammy Rice as he attempts to diffuse a bomb, reckon with his alcoholism and salvage a complex love life. My friend had somehow fallen asleep by the end, but we concurred that a future visit was in our cards.
The gap between my next Film Forum jaunt was elongated by work and ACT prep. I eventually returned to see a packed showing of Werner Herzog’s “Fitzcarraldo.” Then, there was Les Blank’s “Burden of Dreams:” the documentary about the making of “Fitzcarraldo.” I saw “Burden of Dreams” at mid-day surrounded by roughly seven other moviegoers. While the theater was not full, the excursion still allowed for the escapism I crave when going to the movies. I let go of the world around me and entered the world of the “Fitzcarraldo” production process which was objectively more chaotic.
But, even at the movies, reality can creep through at any moment. Just as the credits began to roll, a theater employee opened the door and exclaimed, “Biden just dropped out of the race!” In shock, a secret eighth member of the audience reacted with, “That’s even crazier than the movie we just saw!” With my mind caught between the 2024 election and a 1980’s film, the experience left me with much to ponder on the late afternoon six train home.
My next few visits were nothing short of incredible. I watched “Eno.,” a documentary about musical visionary Brian Eno, that used generative technology to make each screening different from the last but equally special. “War Game,” a so-called “stress test” on the national security system, made me feel as though I was in the situation room with the cast of government officials playing other government officials.
“Priest,” a Jean-Pierre Melville film about a woman that falls in love with her priest, left me questioning the intersection of faith and forbidden love… if such a concept exists. “Army of Shadows,” another Melville film about the World War II resistance, amplified my appreciation for the art of filmmaking.
In the span of a few short months, the Film Forum provided me with an education in film of all genres. It compelled me to keep up with my cinephile senior citizen and film bro counterparts via spending time with my good (deceased) friends Cassavetes, Kurosawa, Altman and company between each visit. Film Forum and independent theaters like it instill a tangible excitement in going to the movies. Themselves esoteric spirits that dare to tell the stories that matter, cinema houses bring together a range of people ready and willing to become students of the screens before them. They impart valuable lessons and grandiose cinematic aspirations on the patrons that just keep coming back for more.
As the school year begins and exceptional teachers overtake the role of exceptional movies on Film Forum screens, I hope to continue my visits to the theater. Its infamous calendar stops for no one, and Spielberg week is now playing!
