Anny Chih

Last Train Home will be playing at The Ridge Cinema starting Friday March 5, 2010

I watched a movie tonight. I watch a lot of movies.

This was the first movie that I watched in a theatre with cushy red couches. It’s also the first movie that I’ve watched with a complimentary glass of wine. And, it’s the first movie I’ve watched with absolute strangers through a Meetup group event. I’m glad I went.

The event was hosted by the First Weekend Club in Vancouver. I debated whether or not to divulge this information because as I found out tonight, their events sell out quickly and for good reason. The club is probably one of the best kept secrets in Vancouver (for film buffs anyways). But, the nice side of me won in the end which is why I’m letting you know that if the First Weekend Club ever hosts a film premiere at District 319, go!

I struggled to find parking around the theatre and didn’t even know where it was. Sure, I had an address but you can’t tell from the outside that it’s a theatre at all. There are no signs, and it’s in the sketchy part of town right across from the Police Station and only a block or two from that part of East Vancouver where everyone driving through locks their car doors. I started to wonder if I should go at all because I’d spent the last 20 minutes circling the area for street side parking with no luck, and scraped my back hubcap in the process. But no, I had RSVPed that I was going and by-george I was going to go. I ended up finding parking in an area that’s normally a loading zone but is free after 6pm.

I had thought we were just going to watch an old film festival movie in a regular small theater. Turns out we were watching an advanced screening of the film Last Train Home in the best theatre in Vancouver. Seriously. District 319  has individual plush red couches in the theatre, and a little cocktail / reception area beyond their trendy brick wall loft-like entrance hall. It’s the nicest movie theatre I’ve ever been in.

For $12 (group rate; regular is $15), I got a ticket to watch the film, a complimentary glass of wine, and got to mingle over snacks of baba ghanoush and salsa dips with crackers, fruits, bite sized brownies and chocolates, and fortune cookies (my fav)!

I felt a little underdressed in my jeans, Columbia jacket and daypack simply because the place looked so posh. They even had a woman playing a Chinese harp! Thankfully, there was a wide range and mix of dress from cocktail dresses and feathery headbands to jeans and loose fitting hoodies.

Before the film started, we had a long time to mingle and (rather unexpectedly) a dragon dance team and drummers came in to perform. Following the performance, the organizers of the First Weekend Club made their presentation and thank you speeches for everyone involved, drew the 50/50 raffle prizes, and dimmed the lights. Doors opened at 6:30pm but it was around 8pm when the film began.

Last Train Home

To be honest, this film isn’t something new. There are dozens of films like it that address the issues that arise from satellite / non-existent parenting, daily struggles of families in rural China, and all the other thoroughly depressing aspects of Chinese culture. If you want a happy ending, this is the film to avoid. It’s long, at times painfully frustrating, and sometimes just plain sad. Still, it struck a cord. And yes, there were moments where I got teary-eyed and clutched my tissue. I even sniffled a bit.

When the film ended, the person next to me commented to his friend that the movie was “very real.” It is very real, and although the characters struggle in a way that we could never fully comprehend in our cushy red seats, I think a lot of us can relate to the issues addressed. In particular, I think a lot of Asians who have grown up here without one or more of their parents because they are “busy earning money,” and even the parents who stress more than anything else the need to “study hard in school” can understand and appreciate all the characters in the film. It’s a complicated situation and sometimes better told with the silent moments. Last Train Home captures that silence.

The organizers asked that we spread the word about the film if we enjoyed it. I wouldn’t say that I enjoyed the film (I don’t enjoy being sad), but I did appreciate it. Thank you to the First Weekend Club for hosting this great event, and a special thank you to Mohamed for organizing the Meetup group to attend this advanced film screening!