UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE: All
screenings are Wednesday evenings in Liberal Arts, Bldg 18, room 135,
at 7 pm. The films are shown in the original language, most have
English subtitles. Admission is free. Most films are un-rated
and many contain adult situations and language. Viewer discretion is
advised.
Also check out the The College
of Arts & Letters film series.
S= Spanish / G= German / J= Japanese / N= Navajo / F= French / R=
Russian
E= English / ES=English subtitles. If known, ratings indicated by
PG, R, etc.
Most films are un-rated but many contain adult situations or themes & language.
For more info contact:
Astrid Klocke (German, Series Coordinator) 523-6789
Inez Nez (Navajo) 523-6319
Pat Frederick (French) 523- 9437
Chie Okubo (Japanese) 523-8957
Neal Liang (Chinese) 523-6910
Anne Slobodchikoff (Russian) 523-6223
Audra Travelbee (Spanish) 523-0630
Linda Landrum-Wolfe (Italian) 523-6239
NA=Navajo, SP=Spanish, FR=French, GE=German, RU=Russian, JA=Japanese, CH=Chinese, EN=English, ES=English subtitles, B/W= black & white, Dir= director, min=minutes
NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF MODERN LANGUAGES
Fall 2009 FILM SERIES
September 2
Aruitemo Aruitemo (Still Walking)
(Japan, 2008). Dir. Hirokazu Koreeda examines life, death, and family through
a typically estranged family gathered for a one-day reunion. Forty-something
art restorer Yokoyama Ryota reluctantly returns to his parents' home with his
new wife Yukari for a rare reunion. The family is holding a memorial for the
eldest son who passed away 15 years ago, and Ryota has not been looking forward
to the occasion. To his father, Ryota can never compare to his late brother,
and silent resentment has accumulated between father and son over the years.
Likewise, Ryota's mother carries years of bottled frustrations and disappointments
that slip out in casual, cutting remarks. Through light banter, bitter bickering,
and banal bustle, Still Walking subtly reveals the ties and tension,
memories and misunderstandings that make up the modern family. Japanese with
English subtitles. 114 min.
September 9
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
(China, 2000) Dir. Ang Lee. Legendary martial artist Li Mu Bai is tracking
the murderer of his master. The poised and self-assured Li can handle
anything -- except his feelings for lithe, pantherish Yu Shu Lien.
Jen Yu, the tremulous and spoiled daughter of the Province's governor,
is also fascinated by Shu Lien's glamorous life: that a woman can have
so many adventures and such freedom is marvelous to her. Though the
refined Jen is soon to be married off into respectability, she harbors
a sinister plan. By night she transforms into a masked and cunning
thief, out to steal the Green Destiny, an invincible blade once wielded
by Li. At the same time, Li embarks on his own quest to recover the
missing sword, possibly the key to his master's murder. Chinese with
Englsih subtitles. 120 min.
September 16
Weave of Time
(1987) A documentary film which includes film footage and photographs
from 1938 of four generations of a Navajo family. Portrays the impact
of modernization on the lives of this Native American family as well
as their efforts to maintain their traditions. 60 min.
September 23
Ponyo (Gake no Ue no Ponyo)
(Japan, 2008) Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. The son of a sailor, 5-year old
Sosuke lives a quiet life on an oceanside cliff with his mother Lisa.
One fateful day, he finds a beautiful goldfish trapped in a bottle
on the beach and upon rescuing her, names her Ponyo. But she is no
ordinary goldfish. The daughter of a masterful wizard and a sea goddess,
Ponyo uses her father's magic to transform herself into a young girl
and quickly falls in love with Sosuke, but the use of such powerful
sorcery causes a dangerous imbalance in the world. As the moon steadily
draws nearer to the earth and Ponyo's father sends the ocean's mighty
waves to find his daughter, the two children embark on an adventure
of a lifetime to save the world and fulfill Ponyo's dreams of becoming
human. Animation. Japanese with English subtitles. 100 min.
September 30
After This Our Exile
(China, 2006) Dir. Patrick
Tam Ka-Ming. The Chinese title of this film means "Father
and Son." Aaron Kwok stars as Shing, a gone-to-seed, deep-in-debt
father whose family has fallen apart - he just doesn't know it yet.
His wife Lin (Charlie Young) plans on leaving him, and though her initial
attempt is thwarted by son Lok-Yun (Goum Ian Iskandar), she's soon
able to escape her relationship with Shing. Nobody would blame her
for running away, as Shing is a class-A lout; he's a man who publicly
embarrasses his wife and even hits her, finally locking her up to prevent
her from leaving. Once she sees her chance, she bolts, leaving Shing
and Lok-Yun alone. After a full-on display of expected emotions, including
anger, denial, frustration, and a little pathetic weeping, Shing must
decide what to do next. With each passing day of Shing's grossly unrepentant
deadbeat status, that bond of blood threatens to become poisonous.
Chinese with English subtitles. 120 min.
October 7
Rock with Wings
(2002) The story of the Shiprock Lady Chieftains basketball team, largely
Navaho, whose new coach (Jerry Richardson) led them from a group of
girls who expected to lose to the position of state champions, meanwhile
learning to overcome the differences in race, gender and cultural heritage
that divided them to achieve a sense of pride and accomplishment for
themselves, their team and their community. 113 min.
October 14
Mi Mejor Enemigo
(Chile/Argentina, 2005) Dir. Alex Bowen. After losing their bearings,
a group of Chilean soldiers learns some lessons about their enemy's
humanity in this dark comedy set during the 1970s war between Chile
and Argentina. Digging in where they are, the troop soon discovers
a nearby Argentinean platoon. Unsure how to handle the situation, the
two groups start passing notes via a stray dog, and eventually achieve
a wary camaraderie. Spanish with English subtitles. 100 min.
October 21
Russian-language film: t. b. a. (Please contact Ms. Slobodchikoff for
details.)
Friday/Saturday, October 23/24: German Film Fest: 20th
Anniversary of the Fall of the Wall
(more information t. b. a.)
The Tunnel
(Germany, 2001) Dir. Roland Richter. This film fictionalizes the true
story of the digging of a 430-foot tunnel running under the Berlin
Wall in 1964, as tunnel rats on the west side labor to find a way
out for friends and family in the Communist East. The principals
are led by a famous German swimmer whose sister is trapped in East
Berlin. Also incorporated into this story is an American TV news
crew shooting the digging as it goes along. Director Roland Richter
shot The Tunnel for television but it still grabs the viewer
in irresistible suspense. In German with English subtitles. 167 min.
The German Gambit (Deutschlandspiel)
(Germany, 2000) Dir. Hans-Christoph Blumenberg. This film is a
thrilling account of the dramatic events behind Germany's re-unification
in two parts. Part I: "Auf die Straße" (Into the Streets)
begins with the 40th anniversary celebrations of East Germany and culminates
in the final agreement of the Kremlin to a united Germany within NATO.
It covers the mass demonstrations for freedom, the transforming of
the East German government, and the day the Berlin Wall was opened
for all citizens of East Germany. Part II: "Eilig Vaterland" (Hurried
Fatherland) discloses the capricious diplomatic moves behind the
scenes, the international pressures and intrigues which finally led
to a new, re-unified Germany. German with English subtitles. 180 min.
October 28
Monsieur Hire
(France, 1990). Dir. Patrice Leconte. Winner of the French Film Critics
Award for Best Feature Film, Monsieur Hire is a stylish, finely
crafted, and at times disturbing erotic thriller about obsession. Based
upon a Georges Simenon mystery novel, the Hitchcockian story of murder
follows the quiet life of the police’s main suspect, Monsieur
Hire, a lonely, repressed little man who is also a voyeur. The film’s
highlights are its intelligent direction and a brilliant performance
by Michel Blanc. PG 13. French with English subtitles. 88 min.
November 4
Il Postino
(Italy, 1994) Dir. Michael Radford. Pablo Neruda, the famous Chilean
poet, is exiled to a small Italian island for political reasons. On
the island, the unemployed son of a poor fisherman is hired as an extra
postman due to the huge increase in mail that this causes. Il Postino
is to hand-deliver the celebrity's mail to him. Though poorly educated,
the postman learns to love poetry and eventually befriends Neruda.
Struggling to grow and express himself more fully, he suddenly falls
in love and needs Neruda's help and guidance more than ever. Neruda
helps Mario to win the attention of Beatrice, the beautiful waitress
at the inn, through the beauty and power of poetry. Il Postino is
a remake of the 1983 Ardiente Paciencia, by Antonio Skarmeta.
In Italian with English subtitles. 108 min.
November 18
Cocalero
(USA, 2007) Dir. Alejandro Landes. A documentary centered on the union
formed by Bolivian farmers in response to their government's (which
was urged by the U.S.) effort eradicate coca crops, and the man who
would come to represent them, Evo Morales.