“What should I watch?” she asks.

 

“Ooh, I love this game,” I think to myself, already starting to get the gears moving in my head.

 

This is a question that I’m asked by pretty much everyone after telling them I’m a bit of a film buff. 

 

It’s a fun question, but it can really rack the brain. The reason it’s so difficult is because I tend to get hung up on the question of “Do I recommend something that I’m sure they’ll like or take a chance and say something that they might love?” 

 

The art of recommending is most efficient after actually taking the time to get to know someone, however, I’ve found that most of the time, this question is asked by people bordering on the complete stranger status. With that said, I’ve subconsciously compiled a list of questions that prove useful in my process.

 

With people that I don’t really know, such as a fellow student whom I revealed my love of film to in an icebreaker exercise, I might look at what they wear. For instance, if they are wearing bright red lipstick, a beret, and Doc Martens, I might offer Vivre sa vie by Jean-Luc Godard, as I can’t quite think of a more “French” film to fit their aesthetic.

 

“Where are you from?” I might ask.

 

This can be a very insightful question when gauging what to recommend someone. If they say something like ‘New York’ or ‘L.A.’, it might offer a hint into how much they’ve already been exposed to. For specific places, such as Houston, I like to present a piece that has a direct tie to the city. For example, I’ll ask if they’ve seen Rushmore by Wes Anderson, a film that was written, directed, and shot here in Houston, by a Houstonian at that.

 

“What’s the last thing you’ve seen?”

Another question I’ve found to be useful in my recommendation process. Based on how they talk about their most recent watch, I can determine whether to say something similar to it or not. If they just light up talking about watching Ocean’s Eleven, then it wouldn’t be a stretch to tell them to try giving The Sting a try. They’d likely enjoy the same witty, cunning, characters that go about winning against “the man” in the same manner.

 

After asking these questions, I’ll usually have a rough sketch of what they might enjoy. Now, comes the hard part: actually vocalizing your suggestion. With doing so, you’re taking quite the risk; they could watch your pick and absolutely love it, or they could come back the next time they see you and say you’ve wasted ninety minutes of their life.

 

I still remember the first time I received bad feedback from my suggestion: it was my sophomore year of high school, and I was talking to a classmate about how I just founded my school’s film club. Naturally, “the question” pops into the conversation, and I end up telling him to watch Flubber, a story about a scientist and this little green slime creature he invented. Personally, I thought it was great. It’s a fun movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Anyway, when I saw the guy again and asked him if he watched it, he laughed it off and acted as if it were totally beneath him to watch Robin Williams play with slime for an hour and a half. To be fair, this was before I really established my set of questions, so my recommendation was pretty much based on what I liked, instead of what I surmised about them.

 

I’m glad to say, over time, I’ve dramatically increased my suggestion accuracy. The most recent memory from a suggestion gone right, was this past summer with my friend, Henry. Henry’s case was a bit special; I’d known him for about a year, however, we never really discussed movies all that much, but subconsciously, as I got to know him, I started to form a good idea of what he might enjoy. This summer, I had him watch Layer Cake, a British crime film about a drug dealer. I thought that Layer Cake would just be a perfect fit for him; he was a Premier League soccer fan, which made me think the English accents would not only be interpretable but also comfortable for him. I also knew he was a car guy, one that would enjoy the wide array of classic automobiles that are present within the movie’s running time. In all, the movie was a big hit for him; he loved it. “THAT was good” he said to me, as the final scene ended. I simply nodded in agreement.

 

I’m happy to say my frequently asked question is one that I enjoy answering. Those four words grant me an opportunity to deepen my connection with the person in front of me, as well as share a story that hopefully sticks with them long after the credits roll.