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Reel Ruminators: A Movie-of-The-Month Enrichment Experience

Make a date with great international cinema every month.

Over one year, you’ll discover, watch, and discuss 12 of the best independent and international movies of this century with a group of international film enthusiasts who want to share the experience of discovering and thinking about great cinema. 

Curator Alex Heeney will contextualize the films for you both cinematically and culturally, help you think about the film through many lenses (e.g., costumes, blocking, cinematography, genre), and guide you through a live small-group discussion at the end of the month. 

April discussion date: Sunday, April 27 at 2 p.m. ET

Discussions are recorded and available to members as long as they are members.

Join now
Text says "Reel Ruminators". Logo for Seventh Row's movie-of-the-month club.

Have you struggled to find excellent new international films to watch?

Are you tired of endlessly scrolling through streaming services for something promising to watch besides classics?

Do you find that even your local arthouse cinema is reluctant to play films that aren’t in English, don’t have big stars, or haven’t been generating tons of festival buzz?

Do you struggle to find good films to watch from around the world, especially if you don’t just want to watch films by and about cis, non-disabled, straight white men?

Do you struggle to find recommendations from film critics for films you haven’t heard of?

Do you enjoy reflecting on what you watch and want tools to get more out of what you watch?

You might ask yourself, why did I cry? Why did I laugh?

You might wonder, where do I learn about how the technical aspects of visual storytelling affect my experience of a film — without learning how to make movies?

Do you wonder how you can deepen your appreciation of film as an art form without going back to school or reading dry academic texts?

Do you enjoy movies more when you get to discuss them?

Does talking about art help you clarify your responses to it?

Do you want to learn from other people’s perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences?

Have you ever changed your mind about a film after seeing what someone else sees in it?

Reel Ruminators: A Movie-of-the-Month Enrichment Experience

Over one year, as a Reel Ruminators: Enrichment Experience member, you’ll:

  • Watch and discuss 12 good films from around the world and across genres that you may have otherwise missed.
  • Meet other film enthusiasts from around the world and at different stages of life who want to think critically about films and discuss them with other movie lovers
  • Laugh, cry, and discover new perspectives and places
  • Discover incredible filmmakers (emerging and established from diverse backgrounds, including women, LGBTQ+ people, Indigenous, etc.), watch amazing performances, and get dropped into beautiful worlds
  • Become more comfortable approaching films that were not in your previous comfort zone and learn how filmmakers’ cinematic choices affect your reaction to a film’s story

What we’re watching in the coming months

March 2025

British political thriller

BIPOC director

Nominated for nine British Independent Film Awards and winning Best Director, this film features one of the best performances of the 2010s and helped launch a whole generation of British/Irish acting talent. It also has incredible sound design and score.

April 2025

Indigenous documentary

Indigenous woman director

This Canadian Screen Award winner is one of the most important documentaries of the 2020s.

It sensitively approaches a hot-button issue and may reshape how you understand empathy.

May 2025

Queer African film

Queer Black director about to break out

This 2019 BAFTA-nominated film is a queer story about a shameful recent chapter of history by a queer director who, despite being one of the foremost directors from his country, may finally have his big break this year — possibly at Cannes in the same month!

How it works

1. Discover and watch the movie of the month

At the beginning of the month, the movie gets announced along with info on how to locate it.

You will watch a short spoiler-free introduction to the film by curator Alex Heeney, which will contextualize the film both cinematically and culturally.

You will also get four spoiler-free questions to guide your viewing.

2. Reflect on the film (with critical & curatorial guidance)

Download the After You Watch guide for detailed spoiler-y discussion questions that will help you reflect on multiple aspects of the film, from costumes to characters to cinematography.

Learn more about the film through recommended essays, interviews with filmmakers, podcasts, and beyond.

Delve deep on your own or wait for the discussion. It’s up to you.

3. Join us live on Zoom for the discussion

At the end of the month, we convene live on Zoom for a 90-minute discussion facilitated by Alex Heeney.

You’ll meet film lovers from across the world and at different stages of life. You’ll discover new perspectives on what you just watched to deepen your appreciation of the film — even if you don’t end up loving it.

If you can’t make a month’s discussion, no problem! We will record the discussion so you can watch it later.

Plus, you’ll have access to the entire library of movies added during your time – including the recorded discussion — as a member as long as you’re a member.

This membership is perfect for you if:

  • You love movies and want to discover and watch more films that you wouldn’t necessarily stumble upon otherwise
  • You’re a curious person who wants to learn about different people, perspectives, and places.
  • You enjoy movies more when you get to talk about them, learn about them, or dive deeper into them (including with a rewatch)
  • You enjoy thinking critically about movies — from the characters’ psychology to the film’s themes to the filmmaking choices that communicate them — and want more tools and opportunities to help you exercise this muscle without signing up for a class
  • You want structure to build discovering and watching great movies into your life — with a low-stakes deadline to keep you on track and the flexibility to fit this into your busy schedule

Your Investment

$80 USD for 3 months or $30 USD per month

7-Day Money-Back Guarantee

There is a seven-day money-back guarantee with some conditions.

You must demonstrate that you’ve given Reel Ruminators a try by watching my intro to the first film and watching the movie.

If the experience is not valuable, you can get a full refund. 

Email contact <at> seventh-row <dot> com and let me know what you thought of the film and why you did not find the experience of Reel Ruminators: A Movie-of-the-Month Enrichment Experience worthwhile.

About Me

Hi, I’m Alex Heeney, Film Critic and Founder/Editor-in-Chief of Seventh Row

Alex is a Tomatometer-approved film critic who has published 15 ebooks on film and interviewed filmmakers from around the world.

For 20 + years, she’s been seeking out international under-the-radar films by and about diverse groups (e.g., women, people over 50, LGBTQ+ people, Indiegnous people) at major film festivals (e.g., TIFF, Cannes, Sundance, Berlin, HotDocs, Visions du Reel, InsideOut, Frameline).

Over the years, she’s watched so many incredible movies go unnoticed and wants to make sure you don’t miss these films just because they are not English, don’t have movie stars, or are from first-time directors. (Even movie stars don’t guarantee a film’s release or marketing campaign!).

On the Seventh Row Podcast, she has facilitated discussions between film experts and film enthusiasts from a range of backgrounds and perspectives — because you don’t have to have a degree in cinema to have thoughtful insights worth sharing.. 

What Reel Ruminators Members are saying

A deeper experience of film than I would usually have

Reel Ruminators has introduced me to films I enjoyed and would never have heard of because I don’t have the time to spend researching them.

I am eager to seek out more of the creative teams’ works from two films. And even the films that didn’t earn my personal 5-star rating were stimulating and thought-provoking because they taught me something new about the possibilities of cinema.

Alex, who leads Reel Ruminators, knows a tremendous amount about film and isn’t just focused on one aspect, for example, the characters or the story, but looks at its entirety. This has allowed me to have a deeper experience of each film than I would usually have.

Every time Alex’s discussion questions ask me to think about the technical aspects of filmmaking – like pacing and frame composition – it opens up the film for me in a way I wouldn’t immediately go to. It encourages me to rewatch each film to flex my critical viewing muscles and try to see what Alex sees.

I don’t want to take a course, and I’m not trying to become a director, but I want to heighten my appreciation of films. Reel Ruminators has helped me do that. I think about what the score is doing and what it’s saying. I think about frame composition in a way I never did before. I just pay more attention now!

All in all, a very worthwhile investment of my time and money.
Founding Member
Nancy Mills

Opened me up to new types of films that I really like

Most of the Reel Ruminators films have been such a discovery for me and aren’t films I would have necessarily chosen to watch on my own. It’s opened me up to new types of films that I really like. One of the films that really lingered with me a lot…I saw the trailer and thought, I would not have watched this if I were just alone…and what a loss that would have been!

Everyone has a different way of watching movies and of expressing their thoughts about the movie even if it’s expressing a similar feeling. Sometimes, other members have had a whole different perspective that I wouldn’t have thought about at all, and it’s fantastic.
Nurri Kim
Founding Member

Getting to know people across the world makes me feel very connected

The live discussion makes the whole month work. I like having the urgency to watch something that isn’t just looking at the gazillion films available and trying to figure out what I’m in the mood for.

With Reel Ruminators, I have one movie where I’m told this is good, and I have some accountability to make sure I watch the film. There is intelligent conversation to be had, so I need to ensure that I have seen the film so I can be part of it. Watching it and taking part in the conversation is so rewarding.

Getting to know people across the world makes me feel very connected. It also means everyone is coming at the film from different frames of reference.

It helps me understand that I’m coming at things from a particular angle that’s influenced not just by who I am in my life but also where I’ve grown up — and other people are doing the same. It’s not something we’re always directly talking about, but it shapes the discussions quite a bit.
Founding Member
Hazel Shaw

Reel Ruminators has helped to bring back the excitement and adventure of watching movies.

I feel less alone in my journey, less alone in in liking what I like. There’s real validation from speaking to people about this random movie that I know for a fact nobody I know in my life has watched it. 

It was fun to meet new people, to hear things that did not occur to me at all but that were insightful or surprising.  I liked the movie even more after we discussed it…I feel more connected to the movie watching community. I feel reinvigorated in my excitement about the possibility of movies and what they can offer. And I’m excited for the next one. 
Michael Borek
Founding Member

I trust that if Alex recommends a film, it’s worth seeing.

It’s hard to see international films at even the best independent movie houses unless the films are in English or have made a big splash on the festival circuit. So many fine but less touted works go under the radar. It’s equally hard to find film critics who champion these kinds of films and whose recommendations can be relied on. 

I’m so happy to have discovered Seventh Row. I trust that if Alex recommends a film, it’s worth seeing. The first Reel Ruminators film selection was excellent, and better yet, I’d never heard of it.  Also excellent was Alex’s introduction and the discussion questions.
Kaj Wilson
Founding Member

Here’s what you get with each month of Reel Ruminators

  • 1 x curated hidden gem of world cinema at the beginning of each month, with info on where to stream the film and what to think about while you watch
  • 1 x month-long movie enrichment experience for every step of your ruminating journey that goes beyond the discussion: before you watch (a spoiler-free video introduction to the film by me to provide cinematic and cultural context, spoiler-free discussion questions), after you watch (in-depth discussion questions and additional resources to learn more about the film and filmmakers, including interviews with the creatives)
  • 1 x 90-minute live Zoom discussion (Sundays at 2 p.m. ET) with fellow film enthusiasts to discuss the film at the end of the month. Discussions are recorded and are available to members.
  • From month to month, we’ll watch movies from this century from across continents, cultures, and languages, focusing on films by and about women and other marginalized groups (e.g., LGBTQ+, Indigenous, people over 50). These films will make you think and feel – both about their content and the art of filmmaking.

When you sign up now, you’ll also get the following BONUSES:

  • Early and immediate access to the March edition. This means you’ll immediately find out the movie of the month and get access to all the supporting materials (introduction, audio commentaries, discussion questions, etc.) for the month.
  • Audio commentaries by Alex on three scenes from the March movie of the month
  • Access to the movie and enrichment materials for as long as you’re a member

I’m in! How do I sign up?

Join now

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