OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY FILM INSTITUTE

Our 31 Year, 2012-2013

Join us for our 31st year and explore in eight international films the theme of "Escape From Freedom." A discussion session follows each film for those who wish to stay.

9/23/2012, Mon Oncle Antoine, Claude Jutra, Canada(1971), 110
Kerr McGee Auditorium

A critics poll held once a decade, since 1984, at the Toronto International Film Festival, has named this movie the greatest Canadian film of all time three decades in a row; this acclaimed film won eight Genie Awards, the Canadian Oscar, and was honored at seven international film festivals. A bittersweet masterpiece about the coming of age of a fourteen-year-old boy who lives with his Uncle Antoine in a small town, the film is set in the 1940’s in Quebec’s asbestos mining country. Made at the height of Quebec separatism, the subtext of this French-language film raised the consciousness among all Canadians of the plight of mine workers treated as serfs working at a deadly trade. -“Mon Oncle Antoine is indelible; the best chronicle of a coming of age since Truffaut’s The 400 Blows.” Time -“Jutra knows reality when he sees it, and he can transfer that fragile substance to the screen …. This is a movie close to people who are close to the earth. It stirs all kinds of warm, bucolic, front porch, childhood sensations without smothering them in unseemly goo.” Washington Post -“The mixture of youthful playfulness, jaded idealism, and tongue-in-cheek politics come together perfectly in Mon Oncle Antoine.” School of Canadian Studies -“The story of a boy learning about sex, and death and fallibility of adults.” New Republic -“This beloved Canadian film is rich in characters, glowing with life in the midst of death.” Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

10/7/2012, The Flowers of War, Zhang Yimou, China(2011), 141
Kerr McGee Auditorium

From one of the greatest living directors—three Academy Award nominations—Zhang Yimou creates a moving story set in 1937 China during the Sino-Japanese war. A mortician, played by Christian Bale, arrives in Nanjing to prepare a priest for burial. Upon arrival he finds himself the lone adult among a group of convent girl students and prostitutes from a nearby brothel. When he finds himself in the unwanted position of protector of both groups from the horrors of the invading Japanese army, he must confront his own identity. Nominated by China for their 2012 Academy Award entry, The Flowers Of War shows Zhang’s vivid visual style. He remains one of the most popular directors in the Film Institute’s history. -“Bale admirably shoulders the burden of Western identification figure, but the heart of the story is the ongoing tension between the schoolgirls and the hookers, who see in each other aspects of womanhood that are out of their respective reach.” Chicago Reader -“It's a special film of sacrifice, redemption and hope in the shadow of a holocaust that packs an emotional wallop from which there is no escape. I can't get it out of my thoughts, and I recommend it highly.” New York Observer -“An inspiring, stirring and unforgettable human drama in the face of a horrifying war. Highly recommended.” Boxoffice Magazine -“Bale is forthright and emotional in the role, and with a hint of boyish vulnerability, even reminds us of his 13-year-old self in Spielberg's Empire of the Sun.” Guardian

10/21/2012, The Colors of the Mountain, Carlos César Arbeláez, Colombia(2010), 88
Kerr McGee Auditorium

A soccer ball marooned in a minefield is the central image of Arbeláez’s quietly assured debut feature film set in a remote village in the Andean region of Colombia. And it’s a neat enough symbol for the characters’ lives, which are menaced on one side by guerrillas and on the other by paramilitary groups. In the tradition of other great films on children in wartime: Malle’s Goodbye, Children, Clement’s Forbidden Games and Boorman’s Hope and Glory. Colombia’s Oscar candidate submission and the first film from this country in the Film Institute’s history, The centers on a group of boys led by nine-year-old Manuel; they are obsessed with playing soccer even though minefields abound in the area. This film’s screening is timed to connect with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jody Williams’ speech on campus in the OCU Distinguished Speaker Series event, Oct. 24. -“Breathtakingly scenic… nimbly captures the pleasures and pains of childhood bonds.” The Hollywood Reporter -“A powerful debut! Moving, funny, poignant, and insightful.” Screen International -“Gorgeous…and delightful! It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful movie than this one.” Trust Movies -“Shot almost entirely from the children's perspective, Arbeláez tackles universal themes of conflict and its impact on ordinary people without getting mired in specific politics.” Eye for Film -“Arbeláez cites Iranian films as a stylistic influence for a much more naturalistic use of children and local casting, even as he seems just a bit more hopeful that South America isn't quite as tragic as the Middle East--yet.” Film-Forward.com

11/4/2012, The Double Life of Véronique, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Polan(1991), 96
Kerr McGee Auditorium

Kieslowski’s international breakthrough remains one of his most beloved films: a ravishing, mysterious rumination on identity, love, déjà vu, and human intuition. Those familiar with Kieslowski's later "Three Colors" trilogy of Blue, White, and Red will recognize his fascination with accidental happenings and chance encounters, as well as Irène Jacob from Red whose performance won the 1991 Cannes Film Festival award for best actress. The Double Life of Véronique remains an unforgettable sympathy of feeling. One of the two most requested films on last year’s film series evaluations. -“The parts do not quite fit, and anyway this is not a puzzle to be assembled. It is a romance about those moments we all sometimes have when we think we see ourselves at a distance.” Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times -“Don't even attempt to resolve the paradox, and The Double Life of Veronique will work on its own poetic terms.” New York Times -“Refracted reflections take center stage in Kieslowski's The Double Life of Veronique, a poetic overture on the power of senses and sensibilities.” Slant Magazine -“It operates purely on visual juxtapositions, emotion and the presence of lead actress Irene Jacob. In its own terms, it's subtly precious.” Washington Post

1/27/2013, A Separation, Asghar Farhadi, Iran(2011), 123
Kerr McGee Auditorium

The Foreign Language Oscar winner of last year as well as one of the most acclaimed films of recent years, A Separation offers us another great Iranian film, the country once again most requested on last year’s film evaluations. A married couple confronts a difficult decision—to improve the life of their child by moving to another country or to stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent who has Alzheimer's disease. -“Dynamically shot and paced like a thriller, the film has the density and moral prickliness of a good novel.” The Atlantic -“A moral tale of immense depth and sophistication, Farhadi's rightly praised A Separation remains one of the most important films of the young decade to date.” Slant Magazine -“The film involves its audience in an unusually direct way, because although we can see the logic of everyone's position, our emotions often disagree.” Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times -“A Separation is not the work of a constrained artist. It's a great movie in which the full range of human interaction seems to play itself out before our eyes.” Christian Science Monitor -“A constant surprise, a film that captures the drama and suspense of real life as urgently as any picture released this year.” NPR -“It is a rigorously honest movie about the difficulties of being honest, a film that tries to be truthful about the slipperiness of truth.” New York Times

2/10/2013, Treeless Mountain, So Yong Kim, South Korea(2008), 89
Kerr McGee Auditorium

Winner of many international awards, including the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival, Treeless Mountain luminously renders the experience of childhood. When their mother needs to leave in order to find their estranged father, six-year-old Jin and her younger sister, Bin, are left to live with their Big Aunt for the summer. With only a small piggy bank and their mother's promise to return when it is full, the two young girls are forced to acclimate to changes in their family life. Counting the days, and the coins, the two bright-eyed young girls eagerly anticipate their mother's homecoming. -“Simply one of the best films about childhood ever made.” Village Voice -“The director states her message, a profound one, for what the girls learn is that the way to get what they want—no, need—isn't by hoarding something, but by letting go. Washington Post -“Lovely. An unsentimental and delicately observed portrayal of the quiet resilience of children. Tremendously affecting performances.” Film Comment -“Without wallowing in sentimentality or judging any of her characters, Kim has drawn a mature portrait of an elementary school girl old before her time and a loss of childhood that rings true on every level.” The Hollywood Reporter -“With Treeless Mountain, Kim establishes herself as a first-class filmmaker.” New York Post -“In the end, this melancholy, inspiriting movie achieves a breathtaking emotional harmoniousness.” Christian Science Monitor -“Treeless Mountain looks at life from three feet off the ground and meets the hardening gaze of its 6-year-old protagonist head on.” Boston Globe

2/24/2013, The Kid with a Bike, Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne, Belgium(2011), 87
Kerr McGee Auditorium

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival, this deeply moving French-language film by cinema history’s greatest pair of brother directors delves into the emotional life of troubled eleven-year-old Cyril, showing once again that no one charts the wilds of childhood more precisely than the they. These masters of modern cinema have won two Golden Palms at previous Cannes festivals as well as Grand Jury Prizes. This film’s screening is timed to connect with the speech of Children’s Defense Fund Head Marian Wright Edelman, who will talk on campus in the OCU Distinguished Speaker Series event, March 4. -“Cyril is one of the most inspiringly resilient, self-aware young characters to arrive on-screen in recent memory.” Washington Post -“The Kid With A Bike is, remarkably, about hope—about the connections people forge when the ones they've been given desert them.” Boston Globe -“The Dardennes' quiet, naturalistic style strips this story of melodrama but not of emotion.” Newsday -“A quietly rapturous film about love and redemption from the Dardennes.” New York Times -“Young Thomas Doret fills the role with natural sincerity and focus, and not a second that seems contrived.” Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times -“An edge-of-your-seat emotional roller-coaster ride about ordinary people in a nondescript neighborhood, it's sometimes terrifying, often heart-rending and completely worth it.” Salon.com -“The real reason to see The Kid with a Bike is that it offers something changelessly rare and difficult: a credible portrait of goodness.” The New Yorker

3/10/2013, Breaker Morant, Bruce Beresford, Australia(1980), 107
Kerr McGee Auditorium

Breaker Morant, one of the most acclaimed Australian films, was screened in competition at the 1980 Cannes Festival and won best supporting actor as well as many other honors, including the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film and 10 Australian Oscar equivalents. Based on a famous incident in Australian history, Henry "Breaker" Morant was an Englishman living in Australia at the end of the 19th century. When the Boer war broke out in 1899 between Britain and the descendants of Dutch colonists, Morant and a number of Australians volunteer for duty in South Africa. What follows becomes the content for one of the most powerful films ever made on both war and military justice—a story that continues to recur in our own time. One of the two most requested films on last year’s film series evaluations. -“A brilliant, timeless, powerhouse drama.” Playboy Magazine -“Breaker Morant, is a top-notch film about an injustice in the annals of military history. Spirituality and Practice -“A truly great film.” Newhouse Newspapers -“A film of epic status, beautifully directed, and strikingly performed.” Saturday Review

Erich Fromm’s Escape From Freedom will provide direction and reflection for our cross-cultural study. The book will be available at the film showings and Full Circle Bookstore. Admission to the eight-film series is free, but donations help sustain the Institute's mission. Donations can be made at each film or mailed to the OCU Film Institute Endowment at Oklahoma City University or the OCU Film Institute’s Designated Endowment in the Community Foundation of the Kirkpatrick Family Fund. Oklahoma City University and the Thatcher Hoffman Smith Endowment Fund for the university’s Center for Interpersonal Studies through Film and Literature also support the Institute.

Director: Dr. Harbour Winn
Coordinator: Bryan Kimmey