filmclub — How to Talk About Movies

The point isn't to judge each other's taste. It's to get better at noticing what a film actually does to you, and enjoy the company of people who see it differently than you do.

Walk in wanting to like it

Not liking something isn't a win. It's a missed chance to enjoy something. The more stuff you can genuinely enjoy, the better off you are. So give every pick the benefit of the doubt, even the ones you'd never pick yourself. Especially those.

If it didn't work for someone, don't ask why

When a clubmate doesn't like your pick, the instinct is to defend it. Don't. Just say "sorry it didn't work for you, I wish it had." That's it. You don't need to change their mind and they don't owe you a justification. A movie hitting people differently isn't a problem to solve. It's just how it goes.

Stay open to changing your mind

If someone makes a case that shifts how you see a film, even one you already rated, let it move you. That's not caving, that's the whole reason to talk about it instead of just logging stars and moving on.

Don't build walls before you've even looked over them

You'll naturally like some genres more than others, that's normal. But writing off a whole genre before you've actually given it a real shot is just closing a door you never opened. Let the rotating picks force your hand a little. Most people who say "I don't like horror" or "I don't do subtitles" haven't actually tested that in years.

When you disagree

Talk about the film, not the person's taste. "The pacing dragged for me" lands completely differently than "I don't get how you liked this."

If a film didn't work for you and everyone else loved it, the better question isn't "why is everyone wrong," it's "what did they see that I didn't." That question alone usually makes the conversation better.

Craft and enjoyment are two different questions. "I can see it's well made, it just wasn't for me" is a real, complete opinion. You don't have to pick a side between respecting a movie and not personally loving it.

Your hot take is honesty, not a challenge. If your gut reaction is the odd one out, that's not something to walk back. That's the interesting part.

New to this?

You don't need film-school vocabulary. Three questions get you further than any technical language ever will:

• What's one moment you'll actually remember?
• What was it trying to do, and did it pull it off?
• Would you have picked this yourself? Why or why not?

Answer those honestly and you're already ahead of most people.