Paris for Singles: At the Movies
Even for the hardiest among us, being single (especially after a long period of unsingleness) can sometimes feel cold, depressing or just plain tiresome. So what a relief it is that Paris is one of the select cities where the prospect of being célibataire does not mortify or cause near-suicidal levels of 
introspection. Just observing the sidewalk cafés provides ample evidence that (like in New York) people-watching is a sport best enjoyed alone here, as so many Parisiens do with their tiny café, or cigarette, or both. I maintain that Paris is a city made for singles, in the sense that it is a good place to revel in being alone. If you’re single and hoping to be no longer, I wouldn’t recommend Paris – it’s not a good place to find a lover. It’s not a ‘singles city’ in that sense at all. But as you walk its streets and cross paths with the people who populate your day, the unassuming banter can sometimes be just what you need by way of communication. It’s no scoop that Paris is a supreme walking city, which automatically means that solitary walks here are not only doable, but highly recommended.
That’s not all. I have perfected another technique in living single here, namely that of going to the movies alone. I have tried it elsewhere, in London and New York, and it just doesn’t feel the same anywhere else. Here, I confess that I even went alone a few times while in a relationship! Perhaps the fact that I have attained this limbo-status as a permanent visitor here has something to do with it. I feel that I don’t count. There is little chance I will bump into anyone I know. I go, I sit, and I often wait until after the closing credits (as is done here) to exit. I try to frequent the MK2 cinemas, which are far and away in a class all their own. Granted, they do have removable armrests on some of their lush red banquettes which are ideal for cuddling, but I can fill one out with my coat and my bag quite nicely, thank you very much. My favorite theatre in the city (and perhaps the world) is the MK2 Bibliothèque, which triples as a premiere movie theatre, an exhibition space, and an all-around fabulous place to explore. I happened upon one of the best photography shows I have ever seen there, a Chinese exhibit on display while I was waiting for The Return of the King to start. There are also good shops, including a great DVD and media outlet (offering a selection much wider than new releases, which in Paris is sometimes a luxury) and a gourmet café.
The open and enormous space is designed for the wanderer, the drifter, the loner. That might sound dramatic, but when seeing a movie alone, you tend to be somehow a bit more available, more primed, for the experience. The film and the setting can take on meaning, more than when you’re with someone else to chatter with, bounce ideas off of, joke around with, etc.
That is why I developed this growing affinity for going to the movies alone in Paris. I remember years ago, I was walking down the rainy cold Champs-Elysees one afternoon, feeling blissfully romantic because of the nice gesture that some cute guy made earlier in the day. The Wedding Planner was playing, and I thought, why not? I was fully aware that it was a Jennifer Lopez vehicle designed to bubble over and divert. But ultimately I didn’t want that film to end, even if the final repartee between the two stars is a repeated line from the beginning of the script, a nauseating trick that a surprising amount of flabby romantic comedies are guilty of playing. I was happy that they were together, that their convenient love was being portrayed. At that moment, my perspective was trained in such a way that I had eyes only for the sleek Ms. Lopez wrapped up in the arms of the annoyingly charming Matthew McConhaughey. I didn’t care that it was cheesy, silly, fill-in-the-blank. I was enjoying myself, goddamnit!
This surely would not have happened if I hadn’t been alone, able to allow myself the freedom to get into something so cheesy but also so appropriate to my mood. I might also have been starved for the pointless flow of candy-flavored air we call American Pop Culture which sometimes befalls us expatriates, but hey. It all equaled a certain moment, or mood, which I occupied at the time of viewing. Recently I have seen some excellent (and not so excellent) films that have sparked my thoughts, and it is with the hopes of providing an undiluted, solitary view, but one which also acknowledges my singular mood at the time of viewing, that I begin a series of critiques on certain films du moment on Bonjour Paris. I will try to focus on new gay films, as well as any that I have come across on video. Stay tuned!
