To Each His Own Cinema (2007)

To Each His Own Cinema is a love letter to moviegoing itself, made thrilling by the simple fact that it’s signed, in quick, vivid strokes, by some of the greatest filmmakers alive—each one distilling their relationship with the screen into a miniature you can savor like a perfect short story. The tone shifts from playful to wistful to quietly profound, but the vibe is constant: a warm, communal celebration of that dark room where strangers laugh, ache, and believe together. Because every segment is only a few minutes, the film moves with exhilarating energy, offering flashes of humor, nostalgia, and formal beauty that remind you how many different “cinemas” can exist at once. It isn’t for everyone—some entries are more like private postcards than full narratives—but if you’ve ever loved the act of watching movies, this anthology feels like being welcomed into a global conversation you’ll be glad you overheard.

To Each His Own Cinema is clearly trying to be a heartfelt love letter to moviegoing, using dozens of famous directors to capture what cinema means in bite-sized, three-minute bursts. The problem is that an anthology like this lives and dies by consistency, and here it’s a real mixed bag: a few shorts feel genuinely inspired, while others come off as festival in-jokes, self-congratulatory doodles, or ideas that never become more than a clever concept. If you want a coherent comedy-drama with characters you can settle into, this will feel scattered and frustratingly slight. But if you enjoy sampling different styles, spotting auteur signatures, and you’re happy treating it like a curated gallery where not every piece lands, there’s enough charm and occasional brilliance to justify the runtime.