In December, I moved to a different student house. At that point I had been living in Utrecht for three months. I was excited about my new apartment, and also about the neighborhood, which was just 12 minutes by bike from the center of the city. What made me even happier was the fact that my house was close to a cinema. As I have always been a movie fan, one day I went there. Filmhouse A, as I shall name the cinema, turned out to be extraordinary, and it brought together some of my favorite aspects of Dutch culture.

From the outside, Filmhouse A looks quite ordinary. But once you get in… it is still quite ordinary! Unlike the luxurious cinema theaters in my own country, which have comfy carpets, complex lighting, and attractive advertisements, and where popcorn and soft drinks are offered everywhere, Filmhouse A is characterized by its sober and functional style. While Chile's modern cinema foyers are usually filled with huge images from US movies or Walt Disney premiere, Filmhouse A's modest walls are decorated with photographs of master filmmakers from around the world.

The main difference at Filmhouse A lies in its vivid atmosphere: cinema experience at its best. While enjoying a coffee, an appeltaart or a proper meal, couples and friends of different ages gather to meet each other, and to talk about the films they have seen. As the Netherlands treats people respectfully, visitors are allowed to enter the auditorium with a glass of wine or a beer. In return, they honor the arrangement by not behaving badly, properly turning off their cell phones, and simply returning their empty glasses.

A second Dutch feature became apparent in the way Filmhouse A uses the available space. Despite its relatively small building, there are two big rooms for having coffee, a terrace for those days when the sun takes pity on Utrecht and decides to shine a little, and a tiny but very beautiful restaurant, which – surprisingly – is located on a flight of stairs. This, of course, does not include the four auditoriums.