Ch 10. Lunch
They headed to some tables nearby to eat the sandwiches that Sophie had made.
"So, what do you want to do now?" asked Jason, taking a bite of his BLT. "Hey, these are pretty good."
She smiled. "Well, actually there's a free movie showing at the Theatre in the Union building. My art professor recommended it to us. It's supposed to be an arthouse indie film."
"What's an arthouse film?" asked Jason, taking another bite of his sandwich. "Sounds pretentious.."
She laughed. "No, it's not like that... well maybe a little. Arthouse films are, you know, more... artistic. They focus on the storytelling and visuals rather than big explosions or special effects."
Jason chewed thoughtfully before swallowing. "So... no car chases or action scenes?"
She laughed again. "No, they're usually a bit more abstract or thought-provoking."
"When's the showing?"
"If we hurry, we can make the one o' clock."
"Alright, let's go." He said, finishing the last bites of his sandwich. They gathered their things and headed to the Theatre.
Ch 11. The Arthouse Film
Jason glanced at Sophie as they crossed the main quad. "So, what's the movie about?"
Sophie said eagerly. "It's about a painter who isolates herself in a cabin to finish her masterpiece. But the loneliness starts to get to her and she starts doubting her sanity. It's really deep."
They reached the Union, the building buzzing with activity.
Jason hesitated as they approached the door to the theatre, glancing at the small sign listing the film's title:
Through a Glass, Dim
. Underneath was a poster of a woman staring into her own fractured reflection.
The theater was small, with just eight rows of seats and a screen that looked modest compared to the Tinseltown multiplex he was used to back home. The theater was sparsely filled despite their arrival just five minutes before the showing. Maybe eleven or twelve people, at most, were scattered across the rows. They grabbed seats at the back, near the entrance.
"You know, for a free showing, this is a lot less packed than I thought it would be," said Jason. "Not exactly reassuring."
"Hush, you." she said, as the lights dimmed and the film began.
The opening shot was of a dense forest, shrouded in a thick mist. The sound design was immediately unnerving--a low hum that was very eerie.
Jason shifted in his seat. "Well, this is cheery," he muttered, just loud enough for Sophie to hear. She ignored him, not taking her eyes off the screen.
The camera panned slowly through the forest and the low fog that hung about the trees, before stopping at a small cabin. No music accompanied the shot, just the faint sound of the wind whistling through the trees.
Inside the cabin, a woman sat at a wooden table completely still. Her hands were folded neatly in front of her, her eyes slightly unfocused. The silence was so oppressive that Sophie unconsciously held her breath.
Suddenly the woman spoke, her voice breaking the silence.
"Why do you tick so loudly today?" she asked, staring directly at a clock mounted on the wall. The ticking of the clock grew louder, filling the theater.
Jason glanced sideways at Sophie, raising an eyebrow, but she didn't look over.
The woman rose from her chair and moved to a mirror hanging on the wall. The screen lingered on her reflection for a long moment. The reflection didn't move when she did.
