Film: Incredibles 2 (2018)
Screens: 1 Ticket Price: 4.80€
Three years after my first Cinéligue experience (in Fruges), the chance to go to another of their screenings finally came around again -- this time in Beaurainville, which, from where we were staying, is on the way to Montreuil-sur-Mer. At least three consecutive issues of a local weekly newspaper listed the screening as taking place a day later than the date advertised on Cinéligue's website, which was something of a concern. In the end I went with the website and, thankfully, that was the right choice. Although I couldn't help but think that Cinéligue could well have lost out on some business due to this error, with many of the good people of Beaurainville potentially turning up a day late (and a euro short).
I'd never been to Beaurainville before, and while the drive there was pretty straightforward I must confess I doubt if I'd have found the venue without the aid of the previously-vilified GPS. When I did find the right street, I was mighty relieved to see the Cinéligue van stationed in front of the building. I parked up in a nearby side street and headed on in.
This venue is quite different to the one in Fruges in that it is an actual theatre, so the stage and the permanent seating etc. are all in place, and in all honesty it would pretty much pass for a dedicated cinema if you were unaware that this was a Cinéligue venture. I'm pretty sure that the friendly guy who sold me my ticket (who also starts the projector and, presumably, drives the van) is the same one I encountered last time, and, amazingly, the ticket price was also the same as it was in Fruges in 2015.
An 8.30 start is a bit late for a film primarily aimed at kids, and Pixar don't exactly do snappy 80-minute films. Add on the obligatory short film and a couple of trailers -- plus a delay for the man to get from the ticket counter to the projector -- and it was after 10.30 when we started spilling out into the dark; even I was wilting a bit by the end. Cinéligue usually tend to screen kids' films as matinees, but I suppose it was the school holidays. As you can see from the above picture, the building is quite striking, and it was a very nice place to catch up with a film I was otherwise struggling to fit in over the crammed summer schedule. Three years on, my opinion of the whole Cinéligue operation hasn't changed: it's a fantastic initiative which you should try and support/experience if you ever find yourself within easy reach of one of their events.
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