Today the local cinema was screening the latest Pixar film, Monsters University. Unlike any town-situated cinemas that screen films several times daily over a period of a few months, this cinema screens blockbusters just the once. An odd setup, to be sure, and just as odd in many ways as the cinema itself.

The cinema cum theatre seems to be part of the local school, situated at the far end of a corridor, complete with lobby and box office. From the exterior, the only signs that the brick building was, in fact, a cinema, were the two small posters advertising the day’s and next week’s films, along with a sad plastic sign adorning the windowless white wall next to the postered double doors, stating “Nordens Bio”.

Whilst in the lobby, waiting for Freya and Zelda to return from the toilet, I could not help but laugh at the laid back unprofessionalism that permeated the lobby. The person in the box office looked very young, not helped by the fact that he was sitting down, the shop was a couple of tables put together displaying a few sweets and tray of cheap fizzy drinks, the ticket taker a teenager casually dressed in red shorts and t-shirt.

Considering the film’s release date just five days ago, the cinema was lacking customers. We had no trouble turning up fifteen minutes before the start of the film without having reserved tickets, and still find plenty of good seats for us and six others who had joined us (including Malin, Simon and Jocke). An added bonus was the price of tickets, being seventy crowns each (Jo and I would pay one hundred crowns plus in Stockholm). And the quality of the film was definitely more than acceptable, thanks to the recently purchased projector. In fact, the only thing I personally would have changed would have been to hear the film in its original language, though in fairness the dubbed Swedish was not that bad. Come to think of it, the film on Tuesday is going to be Wolverine. I wouldn’t mind seeing that while I am here, and I’m sure Jo would be up for it.