Cinema chain Pathe has announced an experiment in The Hague to hypnotise film fans so they can rewatch favourite movies as if for the first time.
The event, titled Rewind, is scheduled for November 9 and will involve 30 cinema guests attempting to forget their most loved films with the assistance of hypnotist Viktor Kramer.
After completing a short hypnosis session, the participants will be shown their chosen films in the cinema auditorium so that they can enjoy the stories all over again.
Pathe said the project was inspired by a widespread wish among film enthusiasts who often dream of wiping their memory of a masterpiece to relive that initial thrill. The company explained that it continuously searches for ways to provide cinema visitors with unique viewing experiences, describing Rewind as a step forward that seeks to revive that first viewing sensation through a hypnosis experiment.
Featured films and memory experiment
The featured titles selected for the event include sci-fi hit The Matrix, crime thriller Seven, musical La La Land, and space adventure Interstellar. Each film is known for major narrative surprises, emotional impact, or visual spectacles that deliver a powerful impression on an initial viewing.
Hypnosis is a technique that uses focused attention and guided relaxation to create a state of heightened suggestibility, usually applied in clinical therapy or entertainment. Applying the practice in an attempt to temporarily suppress specific memories of a plot is a novel departure for a commercial cinema operator.
Pathé is one of the world's oldest film brands, established in France in the late nineteenth century, and today operates leading multiplex chains across the Netherlands. The Hague, situated near the North Sea coast, is the administrative seat of the Dutch government and parliament.
Future cinema screenings
Organisers confirmed that the initiative could expand depending on the results of the upcoming session. If the experiment on November 9 proves successful with the 30 participants, the company plans to hold further hypnosis cinema screenings in the future.
