Screen Test

A very different sort of outing today. Spier was the ultimate African experience – food for the soul and memories for life. My sister-in-law has this week off work and had promised the children another expedition. We went from the sublime to the mundane, choosing to go to see Charlotte’s Web at the movies. We haven’t taken the kids to the cinema for a year and a half. The last time we tried, when youngest was 2 ½ , it was too loud, too dark and too scary. The movie was Madagascar, but the trailers were very in-your-face and the volume up so high that she was way too overwhelmed. I ended up walking the mall with her, while Dad watched with the others.

Charlotte’s Web sounded great though. I haven’t read the book to them yet, but the story is so gentle, that I didn’t think there could be too many scary bits even with Hollywood adaptations. I love Dakota Fanning too. So we went. Most of the schools have already started, so the morning show was deserted. We had the cinema to ourselves. Armed with popcorn we went in, trailers still blaring out.

Youngest hung back as the others deliberated over seats, with the whole theatre to choose from. It wasn’t as loud as our previous experience, but “ TOO Dark!”. She stood firmly planted in the doorway, where the light from the corridor still shone. Visions of another hour spent shopping instead of watching the movie began to loom. Standing in the doorway seemed to be light enough though and we found we could sit down just outside on the carpeted floor and still see the whole screen. So that is what we did. Our own private viewing of Charlotte’s Web, with personalised light settings. There was no-one else to fall over our feet, we were able to chat through it and ask questions without being shusshed. She loved the whole thing and wants to know when we can go and see it again.

Maybe in another year and a half we will even make it to see a movie inside the cinema on the seats.