Film screening - Being John Malkovich (1999)

September 10, 2025

Being John Malkovich (1999)

Spike Jonze • 113 • USA • tickets

On Saturday, September 27th, we’re screening Being John Malkovich by Spike Jonze, together with Roffa Mon Amour, behind our office at the Oostzeedijk in Rotterdam.

When Susan and Vincent were audiovisual design students at Willem de Kooning Academy, music videos served as a platform to showcase artists. The directors were often friends of the musicians themselves, creating mini movies with small budgets and crazy concepts. From this scene emerged a new generation of filmmakers who went on to direct major films like Seven (David Fincher), The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer) and Her (Spike Jonze).

In the 90s, Spike Jonze directed music videos for many of our favourite artists, such as 100% by Sonic Youth, Feel the Pain by Dinosaur Jr., Cannonball by The Breeders, Weezer's Buddy Holly, Da Funk by Daft Punk, and maybe his best known, Sabotage by The Beastie Boys. So, no surprise we were crazy to see Being John Malkovich, his first feature, when it came out in the Netherlands in 2000.

2000 is also the year Susan and Vincent finished art school and started the brand. It was never their intention to launch a fashion or bag brand. But they did have a strong spirit to create something universal, functional and bold, and just start from nothing. Looking back, the attitude of directors like Spike Jonze and bands like Sonic Youth or Beastie Boys influenced them more than we realised: just create what you believe in, even without money, resources or experience.

When we sat down with Roffa mon Amour to organise a movie night for our 25th anniversary, the choice was clear: Being John Malkovich. We haven’t watched it since its release, but the concept for this movie is so crazy, we hope you will be triggered to purchase a ticket to (re)watch this movie with us.

Being John Malkovich is a surreal, marvellous film in which philosophical undertones flow effortlessly into eccentric characters and slapstick situations. A darkly comic tale about the desire to escape oneself and live as someone else—a theme that feels as urgent today as it did then.

Before the screening, we will show a short program of Spike Jonze’s iconic music videos.

Tickets include a free drink. See you Saturday, September 27th, at the Gaea Studio behind our store and warehouse!