This summer, Katie Muldoon will present a six-week course titled “Bending Fate: International Films with Tales of How Ordinary People Try to Control Their Destiny” at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Jupiter.
by Katie Muldoon
Perhaps you are like me right now: although I want to understand what is going on in politics, it has become so overwhelming that I want it in the background as much as possible.
So when I started researching films for this summer’s program, I found that there were a fair number of excellent films but way too many of them dealt with such stressful subjects as war, sexual harassment, and other politically-charged messages. Enough of that for now, I said to myself!
Instead, I looked for something that would still offer intelligent depth of emotion but on a more thoughtful, identifiable level. Plus, I wanted some of those lesser-known film gems, the ones that not only have plenty of awards or other such recognitions but also have deeper personalities that reflect the country from which they originated. In that way, we can feel as if we are actually “living” in that country, not momentarily visiting it. The six films in the course show us “ordinary” people sharing extraordinary moments in their lives with us.
These are not “slick” films, but well researched (two of them are based on true stories) and superbly written. There are no wasted words. Every word, backed by precise cinematography and concise acting, helps us understand the choices and the decisions our characters face.
I found it almost always possible to identify with the stresses, excitement, fears and ongoing emotions of the very real people in a wide range of livelihoods and moments in life – Estonian farmers, rural bee-keeping teenagers, Talmudic scholars, Hong Kong pre-teens, Welsh bar folk and the others that appear in these films. And if I couldn’t personally identify with them, I did wisely learn from them, as I suspect you will, too.
Overall, these are Smart Summer Films that allow escape, cheer, discovery, smiling, and perhaps even a bit of weeping — but no politics!
This film course will be held on Wednesdays, July 11, 18, 25; August 1, 8, 15, 2018 from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. (1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on July 25).
The cost is $60 for members and $85 for non-members.
To register, click here.
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