European Films’ Sickening Weight Gain

Most European films are as flabby as the European welfare state

Last week, I was walking past one of Bangkok’s major department stores, and a large sign on the skywalk grabbed me. Bangkok was hosting a European Union Film Festival for eleven days at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, and all screenings were free. Twenty-two different films from 16 different European Union countries, shown in their original languages, with subtitles in English.  What a breath of fresh air, I thought at the time.

The common perception is that European films are deep and insightful. Think of Ingmar Bergmann (Sweden), Frederico Fellini (Italy), and François Truffaut (France).  Meanwhile, American films are derided as clichéd pop culture drivel. The intelligent movie-goer, the thinking goes, appreciates European cinema.

Bangkok has plenty of cinemas.   Every major shopping mall has one, and shopping malls are as popular as 7-11 outlets these days. The city has 3D cinemas and an Imax screen. But all these cinemas all show the same range of films all the time, which consist of the latest  AmericanTwilight or Transformers franchise mixed in with some mainstream Thai releases.   

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