TALKING ABOUT FILMS, ONLINE

Last month a friend turned me on to a recently launched website called TheAuteurs.com. It defines itself as:

1. An online cinema house where you discover, watch and discuss film.

2. A new social experience.

They are right on the first count; the "online movie theater" is executed marvellously. The site hosts a small but growing number of films at $5 per viewing (streamed on your computer), and a few rotating titles thrown in free. The streaming quality is very high, as is the choice of films, owing to a partnership with the Criterion Collection.

But a new social experience? This is tricky. Over the decades film viewing has evolved from being an exclusively theatre-based experience to something many of us do at home on a personal computer. Without luring users back into theatres, the website attempts to evoke the moment after a film when you head over to the coffee shop to discuss. But the online forum is a hodge-podge. Threads range from "Am I the Only One Who Thinks Herzog Exploited Kinski?" to "The Films of John Hughes". There is real value in groups of people sitting around thinking about films (see the founders of Cahiers du Cinéma), and there is certainly a population of cineastes out there eager for new people to analyse with. But the give and take of conversation is lost. No matter what you call it, a bunch of strangers posting opinions is not a discussion.

The website also offers its members an opportunity to become fans of certain films, as in other social-networking sites. But such options are meaningful only if they are widely adopted. After I watched the wonderful 2008 Palestinian film "Eid Milad Laila" ("Laila's Birthday") I checked to see if it had any fans. All of nine viewers declared their appreciation. I'm sure others enjoyed the film as much as I did, but none of us really felt compelled to punch an icon to show it. What would be the point?

I am not predicting doom for the site. Regardless, my business predictions tend to miss the mark: I thought Netflix would be a short-lived experiment. As a film-lover I root for the website's success, and if its social element takes off I'll be pleasantly surprised. But you won't find me among these online forums. I prefer to discuss films with people I know, over actual coffee. Or, at the very least, over good, old-fashioned e-mail.

~ BRADLEY FREEDMAN

Picture Credit: Viernest (via Flickr)