For years now, I have watched many films and have thought about how they can be enjoyed as an art form. Being a fan of film critic Roger Ebert for years, I have always realized he had a unique style of film criticism. As he once said, “No good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough,” I became hooked with watching many of his top films and started to write my own movie reviews. As I entered a course called Living World of Film (an English film course), my doors opened with people that have the same or similar tastes in movies.

 

At age twenty, I was introduced to After Hours Film Society. I went to the Tivoli Theater in the heart of Downers Grove, and became hooked to attending the screenings at After Hours Film Society. The purpose of it is to view independent or for foreign films, have some coffee and cookies (after the film), and then have a discussion about whichever films was viewed. When I participated in the discussions, my opinions on movies expanded.

 

What makes After Hours Film Society great is connecting the films that are viewed to how it relates to the society we live in. when the foreign film, The Hunt was viewed, I was haunted, but also amazed. The film is about a teacher in Sweden who gets in a bunch of trouble, because a lie was told about him. That lie is a small child claiming he is a pedophile. What captivated me though, was how the audience shared their similar or same experiences with the issue in the film. That creates a place of honesty on how movies do a brilliant job of showing the world we live in.

 

Like I said, Ebert taught many people how to appreciate films as an art form. After Hours Film Society provides that aspect very well, you feel you just cannot miss a screening. It is a joy in many aspects, and has been like a second home to me.

 

After Hours Film Society has been an honor to be a part of. The people that I share interests with has been an experience, and I enjoy any aspect that is talked about to shape me up as a better film critic.