William Woods University - Dulany Library International Film Series 2021-2022
(Films are shown at 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm in the Library Auditorium)
Sep. 13 Mirai Japan (98 min.) 2019 From acclaimed director Mamoru Hosoda (Wolf Children) comes a daringly original story of love passed down through generations. When four-year-old Kun meets his new baby sister, his world is turned upside down. Named Mirai (meaning "future"), the baby quickly wins the hearts of Kun's entire family. Kun becomes increasingly jealous of her, until one day he storms off into the garden, where he encounters strange guests from the past and future – including his sister Mirai, as a teenager. Together, Kun and Mirai go on a journey through time and space, uncovering their family's incredible story, in this magical and emotionally soaring adventure about the ties that bring families together and make us who we are. Nominated for the 2019 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. In English and Japanese with English subtitles. Rated PG.
Sept. 20 Beanpole Russia (137 min.) 2020 In post-WWII Leningrad, two women, Iya and Masha, intensely bonded after fighting side-by-side as anti-aircraft gunners, attempt to readjust to a haunted world. As the film begins, Iya, long and slender and towering over everyone (hence the film’s title), works as a nurse in a hospital, presiding over shell-shocked and traumatized soldiers. A shocking accident brings the two women closer and also seals their fates. The 28-year-old Russian director Kantemir Balagov won Un Certain Regard’s Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival for this richly burnished, occasionally harrowing rendering of the persistent scars of war. In Russian with English subtitles. Not rated.
Oct. 4 José Guatemala (85 min.) 2020 José lives with his mother in Guatemala City, where, dominated by conservative Catholic and Evangelical Christian religion, living one's life as an openly gay man is hard for José to imagine. His mother has never had a husband and is determined to hold on to him. José fills his free time with dating apps, but when he meets attractive and gentle Luis, they pursue an unexpected relationship with more emotion than José has ever felt. He is thrust into new passion, pain, and self-reflection, that push him to rethink his life. In Spanish with English subtitles. Not rated.
Oct. 11 Papicha France, Algeria (108 min.) 2019 Algeria, 1990s. Nedjma, an 18-year-old student passionate about fashion design refuses to let the tragic events of the Algerian Civil War to keep her from experiencing a normal life and going out at night with her friend Wassila. As the social climate becomes more conservative, she rejects the new bans set by the radicals and decides to fight for her freedom and independence by putting on a fashion show. In French and Arabic with English subtitles. Not rated. Nov. 1 Parasite Korea (132 min.) 2020 Meet the Park family, the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Be it chance or fate, these two houses are brought together and the Kims sense a golden opportunity. Masterminded by college-aged Ki-woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist to the Parks. Soon, a symbiotic relationship forms between the two families. The Kims provide "indispensable" luxury services while the Parks obliviously bankroll their entire household. When a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims' newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out, threatening to destroy the fragile ecosystem between the Kims and the Parks. By turns darkly hilarious and heart-wrenching, Parasite showcases a modern master at the top of his game. Winner of the Best Picture Oscar in 2020. In Korean with English subtitles. Not rated.
Nov. 8 Blinded by the Light United Kingdom (118 min.) 2019 From writer/director/producer Gurinder Chadha ('Bend It Like Beckham') comes this inspirational drama, set to the music and lyrics of Bruce Springsteen. It tells the story of Javed, a British teen of Pakistani descent, growing up in the town of Luton, England, in 1987. Amidst the racial and economic turmoil of the times, he writes poetry as a means to escape the intolerance of his hometown and the inflexibility of his traditional father. But when a classmate introduces him to the music of 'the Boss,' Javed sees parallels to his working-class life in Springsteen's powerful lyrics. As Javed discovers a cathartic outlet for his own pent-up dreams, he also begins to find the courage to express himself in his own unique voice. Based on Sarfraz Manzoor's acclaimed memoir, Greetings from Bury Park, this is a joyful story of courage, love, hope, family and the unique ability of music to lift the human spirit. In English. Rated PG-13.
Dec. 6 Styx Germany (94 min.) 2019 ER doctor Rike (Susanne Wolff) embarks on a one-woman solo sailing trip to Ascension Island in the Atlantic. When Rike comes across a sinking ship of refugees, she is quickly torn out of her contented and idealized world and must make a momentous decision. Aptly named after the mythological river that separates the living from the dead, Styx is an astute modern day parable of Western indifference in the face of marginalized suffering. Carrying practically the entire film, Wolff is riveting as a woman pushed to her physical, psychological and moral limits. In German with English subtitles. Not rated. Jan. 10 Birds of Passage Colombia (125 min.) 2018 This is an audacious saga centered on the Wayúu indigenous people during a crucial period in recent Colombian history. Torn between his desire to become a powerful man and his duty to uphold his culture's values, Rapayet enters the drug trafficking business in the 1970s and finds quick success despite his tribe's matriarch Ursula's disapproval. Ignoring ancient omens, Rapayet and his family get caught up in a conflict where honor is the highest currency and debts are paid with blood. A sprawling epic about the erosion of tradition in pursuit of material wealth, Birds of Passage is a visually striking exploration of loyalty, greed, and the voracious nature of change. In Spanish with English subtitles. Not rated.
Jan. 24 Weathering With You Japan (112 min.) 2020 From Makoto Shinkai comes a critically-acclaimed new romantic drama set in the rain-soaked streets (and skies) of modern Tokyo. The summer of his high school freshman year, Hodaka runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, and quickly finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The weather is unusually gloomy and rainy every day, as if to suggest his future. He lives his days in isolation, but finally finds work as a writer for a mysterious occult magazine. Then one day, Hodaka meets Hina on a busy street corner. This bright and strong-willed girl possesses a strange and wonderful ability: the power to stop the rain and clear the sky… In Japanese with English subtitles. Rated PG-13.
Feb. 7 Better Days Hong Kong (136 min.) 2020 Nian finds her life at a standstill when faced with relentless bullying from her peers as she prepares for her college entrance exam. Fate brings her together with small-time criminal, Bei. But before they can retreat into a world of their own, both are dragged into the middle of a murder investigation that changes their lives forever. In this dramatic thriller, Derek Kwok-Cheung Tsang paints a bleak picture of an oppressive society in the guise of a gripping fairy-tale love story, exposing the dark world of bullying and societal pressures of achievement facing today’s youth. In Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles. Not rated. Feb. 14 What Will People Say Pakistan, Norway (106 min.) 2017 Sixteen-year-old Nisha lives a double life. When out with her friends, she’s a regular Norwegian teenager. At home with her family, she is the perfect Pakistani daughter. But when her father catches her alone with her boyfriend, Nisha’s two worlds brutally collide. To set an example and escape the judgment of their peers, Nisha’s parents send her to live with extended family in a small town in Pakistan. There, in an unfamiliar country surrounded by people she barely knows, Nisha must adapt to a rigid culture that denies her the freedoms she once enjoyed. This film is a tense and moving drama about women’s rights, immigrant identity, and familial duties. In Norwegian and Urdu with English subtitles. Not rated. Mar. 14 Antigone Canada (109 min.) 2019 Writer-director Sophie Deraspe’s incisive, liberal adaptation of the Greek tragedy by Sophocles is the daring story of one young woman’s commitment to her family, even if it means sacrificing herself. Newcomer Nahéma Ricci gives a stunning, luminous performance as Antigone, an Algerian-born teenager living in Montreal with her immigrant family. Her world is shaken when her oldest brother is wrongfully gunned down by police during the arrest of her other brother who, if convicted, faces deportation. She invents a fearless, dangerous plan to free him, but can it succeed? As Antigone’s predicament intensifies and the consequences of her actions spiral out of control, the film deftly incorporates urgent and explosive contemporary questions of immigration and belonging, social media and identity, and the power of idealism. In French with English subtitles. Not rated. Mar. 21 Good Manners Brazil (135 min.) 2018 A mysterious and wealthy woman hires a lonely nurse named Clara to be the nanny of her soon-to-be born child. When a full moon brings about the birth of a werewolf, Clara makes it her mission to care for the monstrosity and protect it from others. Good Manners is a poignant social and racial allegory on modern-day Brazilian society and an unexpected and wild werewolf movie. In Portuguese with English subtitles. Not rated.
Apr. 4 The Man Who Sold His Skin Tunisia, Belgium (104 min.) 2021 Sam Ali, a young, sensitive, and impulsive man from Syria, takes refuge in Lebanon to flee the Syrian civil war. To be able to travel to Europe and live with the love of his life, he decides to have his back tattooed by one of the world’s most talented tattoo artists. Turning his own body into a prestigious piece of art, Sam will come to realize that his decision might actually mean anything but freedom. Collectors are interested, auction prices go up, and human rights activists are outraged. In Arabic with English subtitles. Not rated.
Apr. 11 Atlantics Senegal (106 min.) 2019 Atlantics is a supernatural drama directed by Mati Diop in her feature directorial debut. Diop made history when the film premiered at Cannes, becoming the first Black woman to direct a film featured in competition at the festival. The film is centered around a young woman, Ada, and her partner, Souleiman, struggling with unemployment, class inequality, migration, crime, family struggles, and ghosts. Working mostly with unknown actors, Diop focuses on issues such as the refugee crisis, remorse, loss, grief, class struggle, and taking responsibility (or not) for one's actions. The Atlantic Ocean is used in many ways throughout the film, including as a symbol and engine for change, growth, life, and death. In Wolof, French, English, and Arabic with English subtitles. Not rated.