It was a shock to Edinburgh filmgoers when Filmhouse on Lothian Road closed in 2022 due to the collapse of its parent company.
I walked past the cinema a couple of times after its closure when it was boarded up and empty, a sad sight indeed.
Thankfully, Filmhouse has been saved and is now open again and running as a registered charity with the support of Edinburgh City Council, Creative and Screen Scotland, the Nancie Massie Charitable Fund, the Community Ownership Fund, and the loyal support of its public.
On this bitterly cold but bright and sunny January day, I walked along the path by the icy Union Canal and then on to Filmhouse to see my first film of 2026, ‘The Illusionist’, a heartwarming animated film released in 2010 (not to be confused with the 2006 film of the same name starring Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, Paul Giamatti, et al.).
The Filmhouse bar was buzzing this Saturday afternoon. I had a pre-film hot chocolate to warm myself up before buying a pint of excellent hoppy Meadows Pale by Edinburgh brewery Barney’s Beer to take in to the screening.
Screen 4 is a cosy 24-seater with comfy chairs in vivid green.
Today’s showing was sold out, a far cry from the sparsely attended midweek showings which I normally frequent at various cinemas. The aircon in the room was a bit chilly but nothing like the cold damp ordeal of Murrayfield Stadium this time last week when I sat frozen to my seat in the West Stand through a turgid encounter between Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors, a match so grim that after only sixty minutes I was praying for the referee to blow her whistle to end the game and put us out our misery.
‘The Illusionist’ is a short film, just 80 minutes. It is completely captivating, buoyed by a lively soundtrack which contrasts with the sparse, fragmented, but very effective dialogue.
The impoverished and itinerant old man who plays the eponymous main character ekes out a living by performing in theatres to small, unresponsive and apathetic audiences. The drudgery of his existence is lightened by the occasional good gig and more importantly by the platonic companionship of a young woman who accompanies him from the Scottish Highlands to seek a new life in Edinburgh.
Visually, ‘The Illusionist’ looks great. It’s mostly set in Edinburgh and although some artistic liberties are taken, the street scenes and the castle and Arthur’s Seat are all instantly recognizable and familiar.
‘The Illusionist’ is a wonderful film, a perfect choice to kick off the new year.
After the film ended, I walked home along Morrison Street, Dalry Road and Gorgie Road. A jittery hush had descended on Tynecastle Stadium where Hearts were nervously hanging on to a 1-0 lead against Livingston.
My weather app said that the temperature was zero degrees but ‘feels like -11’, so I scurried on home as fast as I could to get out the freezing cold.