Cinema, almost since its invention, has been above all a social activity. Like others in the history of culture, cinema summons and gathers, it is a pretext to see others and share time with them. Affinities, shared tastes, interests and curiosity create bonds that find expression in the seemingly simple act of watching a movie with someone else.
In this sense, and because now the cinematographic universe is practically incomprehensible, we decided to make a brief selection of seven films that you can watch in seven different company settings, because although it is possible that the cinema was born as a community activity, the company in which that we can find is not always the same.
Of course, the list is perfectible, so we invite you to complete it with your suggestions on our social networks or in the comments section of this note.
friendship company
Burn After ReadingJoel and Ethan Coen (2008) – An intelligent and unpredictable comedy by the Coen brothers, with a sequence of events reminiscent of classical theater. A good opportunity to share and spread a good mood.
Burn After Reading You find it on Amazon Prime.
couple company
Only Lovers Left AliveJim Jarmusch (2013) – A Jarmusch masterpiece that is also a kind of homage to some of the most refined areas of Western culture, all within the framework of an almost eternal relationship, since it involves two vampires, immortal beings, as is known . What is love like when you know that neither lover will die?
Only Lovers Left Alive You find it on Amazon Prime.
complicity company
goodfellasMartin Scorsese (1990) – A classic movie about crime and mafias that some critics even place above The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972). A good story that, from a certain angle, explores the limits of friendship and convenience.
goodfellas you find it on HBO MAX.
Familiar company
boyhoodRichard Linklater (2014) – A film that follows the fictional development of a real child (and other actors playing the roles of his family). Linklater filmed the same people for 11 years, at different stages of his life, but based on an invented story. Undoubtedly a remarkable effort that, on the other hand, accounts for all that happens within a family and that many times, because we are protagonists and witnesses at the same time, we fail to notice.
boyhood you find it on HBO MAX.
circumstantial company
Django UnchainedQuentin Tarantino (2012) – If by a strange chance you find yourself in an unexpected company, a Tarantino film can be a kind of “safe zone” to make the possible discomfort of the moment pass – or exacerbate it.
Django Unchained you find it on HBO MAX.
school company
whiplashDamien Chazelle (2014) – A good film about the teacher-student relationship, very important in the lives of some and undoubtedly inevitable for most. A film with which it is possible to decipher and reverse the impositions of education.
whiplash you find it on Netflix.
company of yourself
Jean-Paul Sartre went so far as to say: “If you feel alone when you are alone, then you are in bad company”, because in life it is essential to learn to be alone, that is, to learn that our capacity for enjoyment, satisfaction and well-being arise and feed on who we are and do not necessarily or solely depend on being in the company of someone else. And in this, perhaps, there cannot be a specific film recommendation, since, in essence, it is about finding a film similar to your taste or your curiosity, something that you want to see and for which the time has come. Classic or contemporary cinema, a Hollywood blockbuster or a modest independent film: you choose.
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Top image: Bande à part, Jean-Luc Godard (1964)
Article originally published on February 7, 2017. Updated on December 23, 2022.