Pathé Netherlands plans to test whether hypnosis can make a familiar film feel new again. The initiative, called “Pathé REWIND,” will bring together 30 film fans at the Pathé Buitenhof cinema in The Hague on November 9, alongside hypnotist Victor Kraemer.
Participants could choose between The Matrix, Se7en, La La Land and Interstellar. Only the film receiving the most requests will be screened, and every participant must have watched it at least once before.
The experiment includes an individual online session with Kraemer followed by another hypnosis session immediately before the screening. Registration was free, limited to adults living in the Netherlands, and closed on October 29.
The concept is based on the idea that temporarily making memories less accessible could restore some of the surprise associated with a first viewing. However, the source notes that hypnosis does not erase memories and that its effects vary from person to person. Research published in 2002 found that hypnosis could temporarily make certain personal memories inaccessible for some receptive individuals.
Pathé’s rules make clear that the operation does not guarantee either that the sessions will work or that participants will recover the sensations of a first viewing. The group also says that the event is not intended to demonstrate the effectiveness of hypnosis. Whether the spectators will truly be surprised by an ending they already know will only become clear during the November 9 screening.
Sources: Numerama.