I still have memories of the first movie screen I ever saw. They’re faint but definite, and very precious to me. Once upon a time my small South Arkansas hometown had a drive-in movie theater. And while I don’t remember the specific movies playing while I was there, I do remember sitting in the backseat of my family’s 1974 Chevelle Malibu Classic and being in awe of the images bouncing off the massive outdoor screen. That theater has been gone for decades now. But those memories remain, and I’m grateful for them.

That childhood memory, along with other experiences that would follow, are big reasons I responded so strongly to the new documentary “The Last Picture Shows”. Writer, director, and producer Rustin Thompson set out across the American West in search of small-town movie houses either still in operation or long gone. The film is Thompson documenting his findings. Along the way he injects some compelling history while voicing valid concerns about the future of cinema, and not just for the struggling movie houses that have steadily been fading from existence.

Thompson’s journey across the American West spanned ten states and covered 10,825 miles. As he made stops in such communities as Burns, Oregon, Goldfield, Nevada, Susanville, California, Cortez, Colorado, and Springer, New Mexico (just to name a few), he came upon the remains of countless movie houses that once buzzed with life. As his movie’s opening scroll succinctly puts it, “they’ve been abandoned, destroyed, replaced, or forgotten.”

But Thompson also discovered a handful of locally owned theaters still open for business. He has several insightful conversations with the owners who candidly share their struggles. They talk about the difficulty in turning profit, the costly transition from 35mm projection to digital, the crippling impact of the COVID mandates, the restrictive demands of the studios, the influx of streaming, and the challenge of competing with big multiplexes. They’re fascinating testimonies from people who have poured their hearts and souls into keeping these cultural landmarks alive.

Thompson’s film is more than a nostalgic stroll down memory lane. He does take time to chronicle the history of moviegoing, from the genesis of movie theaters, to the boom of the 1940s, the decline in the late 60s and early 70s, and the blockbuster resurgence. But it all builds towards a timely warning about where things are heading. He notes how we’re nurturing a collective disregard for the movie theater experience. As a result, there is a younger generation who hasn’t developed a love for moviegoing meaning they’ll have nothing to pass on to the next generation.

It’s said that in 1929 there were 22,000 theaters in the United States. Today there are fewer than 3,000. Those are sobering stats for those of us who deeply cherish the history and the experience of watching movies in a theater. Thompson impressively transports us back in time while also connecting us to the reality of today. And it’s all evocatively filmed in ways that will bring both a nostalgic smile to your face and a melancholic tear to your eye as you lament a bygone era and feel the growing uncertainty for the future.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS