The Thousands

Act One Scene One. Exterior, Darlinghurst. A beautiful-yet-weathered (with character) old art deco shop front. The camera pushes forward and we see a smattering of film-related t-shirts, postcards and DVDs through each bay window. A smart ‘Film Club’ logo is painted on one window.

Film Club is the latest incarnation of what was Darlo Video, a long-running Sydney video institution – their former shopfront further down Darlinghurst Road was the video store in Muriel’s Wedding.

Film Club is a fitting name, as this is definitely a cinephile’s wet dream. The staff are knowledgeable and personable, and the selection is well-curated and well-arranged (many films arranged by director, yes!). The selection isn’t enormous but then that’s also less intimidating (and time consuming). Everything’s on DVD – sorry VHS nostalgia hounds! FC also sell used DVDs and a handful of film-related t-shirts (they quickly sold out of the spoiler alert shirt), and have a regularly updated blog.

With the outpouring of grief over much-beloved Mondo Video shutting down in Annandale – and some 5+ years on from Video Shift in Balmain closing up shop – the brick-and-mortar video store experience is becoming an endangered species. Support Film Club or one day in a dreadful future you’ll end up pounding a fist on the ground, Charlton Heston Planet Of The Apes-style, crying, “you maniacs! You didn’t rent enough! God damn you! God damn you all to hell!!”