It’s time to look West, film fans

Here’s one reason why I love my wife: She’s more of a movie fan than anyone I know. Our first conversation involved a film (the French flick “Un Coeur en Hiver,” which I hated, she loved), and we both walked away intrigued.

Can you say smitten?

Within a couple of weeks we were dating. A year and a half later we were married. And in the intervening 12 years and five months we’ve never gone more than a couple of days without talking (even if only through e-mail), no matter how far apart we might be.

And in our travels together we’ve seen movies in nearly every country we’ve visited: Poland, Germany, France, Italy , Argentina (does Canada count?). We didn’t get a chance to see anything in Uruguay, Brazil, Ukraine, Mexico, Greece and Costa Rica (though not because we didn’t try, especially in Greece).

It was in a nearly empty and eminently clean theater in Ljubljana, Slovenia, that we watched Charlize Theron, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore clown their way through “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” as Slovenian subtitles danced across the bottom of the screen.

Film festivals, though, that’s where we really bonded. I had seen movies at the Seattle International Film Festival before meeting Mary Pat, but she made me into a regular visitor. Since the summer of 1994, we’ve missed only a couple, and even then only because of travel. And while she won’t be around for this year’s edition, the 32nd version, I’ll certainly be there.

In fact, anyone can be. Ticket packages are now on sale for the entire slate of 300 or so films, and somewhere in there exists something that should appeal to everyone. (Individual tickets go on sale May 11th for SIFF members, May 14 for everyone else).

Who knows? Maybe the love of your life will sit down next to you.

Hey, it happens.

Below: The old part of Valle d’Aosta, Italy, is as beautiful as any spot in Europe.

Photo by Dan Webster