Cinema

NEVER LET ME GO...

Yesterday, Betsy and I decided to go to the cinema. I had seen that 'Never Let Me Go' was coming out in France this week, and as a lover of British films, and a fan of Keira Knightly and Carey Mulligan, I was keen to see it. We sussed out a cinema in Nancy that was showing it with subtitles (as opposed to being dubbed - totally ruins the experience!) which was a little independent cinema down a side street. 

We bought our tickets at a little booth outside (anyone remember the ABC cinema in Bath?) and went in through an outside door. It was total silence inside, then suddenly the film started, just like that without any previews or adverts. The cinema seemed to be full of serious cinema-go-ers and it also seemed that eating in the cinema was frowned upon. We wanted to share our bumper bag of M&Ms, but this became a little difficult, as the man in front was intent on turning round and glaring at us at the slightest noise. Very funny, but nothing like the popcorn-munching cinema times I'm used to at home!

Anyway, having not looked at what the film was about, we were surprised to find that it was not an old-fashioned English love story, as it seemed to be, set in an idyllic boarding school from the outset, but a dystopian drama about children brought into the world to be used to donate organs and help to cure previously incurable diseases. Each character was destined to 'complete' (die) after their second or third organ donation which began sometime after leaving the school aged 18. I have to admit, it made me feel a bit sick as it is not a completely unrealistic possibility and the film ended with no sense of hope for the future. However, it was very well acted and really made me more aware of how close to the line science is becoming, although I really know nothing about it.

The evening then took a more cheerful note as we headed over to a girl from the church (Jeany)'s house for an evening with the young people. It was a really great evening and we were half English-speakers and half French which made it quite amusing. We chatted, ate crepes from a table-top mini crepe maker and drunk French 'Cidre.' (It's different from West Country Cider, but very nice!) All in all, a really nice evening, getting to know more of the 20-somethings from the church.

Betsy, Ian, Maria, Lauren, Francis, Jeany, Franck, Cecile

It's really sunny here this weekend, but not at all warm although some crazy Brits (Ian - who turned up to church showing his legs this morning) think it's shorts weather!

After another wonderful lunch, finished off with lots of fantastic cheese, I'm off to catch some art at the Musee des Beaux Arts this afternoon as the first Sunday of every month is free museum entry in France!