Open Film
Society 2015 & 2016
October 21
WILD TALES
6.30 P.M.
November 25
ELLE L’ADORE
6.30 P.M.
Spanish 2014 122 minutes
Damián Szifrón
Produced by Pedro Almodovar, this compendium of revenge stories
from Argentina has delighted audiences all round the world. The
tales vary in their darkness – some are very funny, others will grip
you with suspense or anxiety, others may shock you. The film as
a whole provides a hugely entertaining and splendidly anarchic
portrait of a world on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
French 2014 102 minutes
Jeanne Herry
Muriel is an avid fan of singer Vincent Lacroix. She goes to all his
shows and collects memorabilia. What can she do but acquiesce
when totally unexpectedly Vincent turns up and asks for her
unconditional help in an illegal act? But Muriel lives to some extent
in another world and she is also an inveterate liar. A film of suspense
and clever twists, sometimes very amusing but at heart a thriller.
October 28
December 2
TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT
6.30 P.M.
French 2014 95 minutes
Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
About to return to work after a period of sickness, Sandra
learns that she is to be made redundant and her job split among
her colleagues. They in turn will receive a bonus payment. In
desperation, Sandra has only one weekend to urge her colleagues
to help reverse this decision. Marion Cotillard gives an impressive
performance in this tense, humane drama which exposes the dogeat-dog individualism created by economic hardship.
FORCE MAJEURE
6.30 P.M.
Swedish 2014 119 minutes
Ruben Östlund
A five-day skiing holiday in the French Alps for a couple and their
two children is interrupted when they witness an avalanche from
the apparent safety of a restaurant terrace. They come to no
physical harm but the father’s reaction brings their family to a point
of crisis. Progressively they establish deeper understandings of
each other’s characters until they are tested anew in a much more
threatening situation.
December 9
THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY
6.30 P.M.
English 2015 104 minutes
Peter Strickland
This is the story of an S&M love affair, with the usual question of
who really is in charge. Cynthia and Evelyn act out a simple yet
provocative ritual. But what happens when one of the parties falls
out of love and wants to end the affair, and the real humiliation and
pain begin? Both women are lepidopterists, and the title is an actual
butterfly found in Europe. Don’t let the content put you off, it’s a
beautifully filmed sensual story, almost like a fairy tale.
November 4
6.30 P.M.
MANUSCRIPTS DON’T BURN
Open Film 2015
October 7
6.30 P.M.
THE CONNECTION
French 2015 135 minutes
Cedric Jimenez
A pulsating start to the season. In 1970s Marseilles, we witness
a battle of wills between the magistrate (Jean Dujardin) and the
heroin kingpin (Gilles Lellouche). Although this is based on the
events that gave rise to the Popeye Doyle films, it is told from the
French viewpoint. In style, set pieces and tempo, it owes more to
Michael Mann’s Heat than to Friedkin. Not to be missed!
Farsi 2013 127 minutes
Mohammad Rasoulof
Set in 1990s Iran, this taut political thriller tells of a group of
dissidents and their efforts to save and publish an accusatory
memoir before two of the regime’s hit-men catch up with them.
Remarkably, the film was made under the nose of the very tyranny
that it describes and the reels were smuggled to Cannes. To protect
cast and crew there are no credits.
December 16
November 11
JIMMY’S HALL
6.30 P.M.
English 2014 109 minutes
Ken Loach
Based on a true story in which a communist, Jimmy Gralton, built
a dance hall in Ireland in 1921. The Catholic Church was enraged
to find it used for wild nights and daytime lessons in Marxism. After
its inevitable closure, Gralton flees to New York. A few years later,
he returns home to help run the family farm. It’s not long before
the bored youngsters are pressing him to reopen the hall and in so
doing are met once again by reactionary opposition.
November 18
THE GOLDEN DREAM
WINTER SLEEP
6.30 P.M.
Turkish 2014 196 minutes
Nuri Bilge Ceylan
With echoes of Shakespeare, Chekhov and Bergman, this winner of
the Palme d’Or is a claustrophobic, psychologically acute chamber
drama exploring the self-delusions and failed relationships of a
proud, vain hotelier. Each character is intuitively observed and
perfectly played. Set among the other-worldly beauty of Cappadocia
in winter, we are reminded of Ceylan’s captivating Once Upon a
Time in Anatolia.
6.30 P.M.
Spanish 2013 108 minutes
Diego Queimada-Diaz
Three Guatemalan teenagers travel through Mexico with the aim of
crossing illegally into the USA. Their extremely dangerous journey is
absorbing and suspenseful. It has the feel of a Ken Loach film and
is brilliantly acted – unforgiving and heart-breaking.
October 14
IDA
6.30 P.M.
Polish 2014 82 minutes
Pawel Pawlikowski
A strong and complex drama of a young girl brought up in a
convent who undertakes a strange journey to find her true identity
in post-war communist Poland. This subtle and elliptical film, shot
in black and white, raises questions of family bonds, forgiveness
and mature faith. From the superb combination of script, directing,
cinematography, acting and music comes an exquisite film; Oscar
and BAFTA winner.
You can visit our website at http://www.openfilmsociety.co.uk/
You can tweet about us on http://www.twitter.com/OU_Film
The Open Film Society may be contacted by emailing [email protected].
Films will be shown in the Open University Hub Theatre on Walton Hall Campus,
entrance to which is from Groveway (H9) or Brickhill Street (V10). Please park in
Church Parking (see map). Full membership of the Society costs £75 (equivalent to
£2.88 per film). Associate membership (5-film pass) at £25 allows entry to any FIVE
films. Guests are welcome with tickets (1-film pass) on sale at the door 15 minutes
before each performance at a cost of £6.50 per film (£5.00 concessions with proof
of status). Drinks and snacks can be bought in the Hub Bar from 5.30 pm. No one
under the age of 16 can be admitted.
Open Film
Society 2015 & 2016
January 27
6.30 P.M.
ATTILA MARCEL
French 2013 106 minutes
Sylvain Chomet
This dark comedy follows the life of Paul, a mute 33-year-old
who lives with his two aunts. We learn about Paul’s love of piano
and how much he misses his mum. Then one day, helped by his
neighbour Mme Proust, Paul discovers a way to recover suppressed
memories and his life changes forever.
March 16
6.30 P.M.
CYCLING WITH MOLIÈRE
French 2013 105 minutes
Philippe le Guay
Serge, once a great actor, has retired to the Ile de Ré while his old
friend Gauthier has become a soap star. Unannounced Gauthier
arrives hoping to entice Serge into a production of Molière’s The
Misanthrope. Each day they rehearse alternate roles as they cycle
round the countryside. Past rivalries and disagreements surface
interspersed with giving attention to an attractive local divorcee.
March 23
6.30 P.M.
STATIONS OF THE CROSS
February 3
6.30 P.M.
TIMBUKTU
Arabic 2014 97 minutes
Abderrahmane Sissako
Life in sub-Saharan Africa is blighted by Jihadis who impose their
doctrinaire views on a historically more tolerant people. A cattle
herder and his family near the ancient Malian city of Timbuktu
are remote from the trials of the city until an unfortunate accident
brings them directly into contact with it and the lunatics in charge.
February 10
6.30 P.M.
MARSHLAND
Spanish 2014 105 minutes
Alberto Rodriguez
This cop thriller is set in the 1980s and follows two ill-matched
detectives who are forced together to find the perpetrator of a
series of brutal crimes in the Andalucian swamps. In the best Gothic
manner, everyone is suspicious, and loyalty is tested. A surprising
twist at the end turns it into far more than a cop story.
German 2014 110 minutes
Dietrich Brüggemann
A teenage girl from an oppressive Catholic family becomes convinced
that it is her destiny to sacrifice herself. Filmed with an austere
clarity reminiscent of Bergman, the stages in her progress towards
martyrdom are paralleled with the stations of the cross. This powerful
drama packs a sizeable emotional punch and is not to be missed.
March 30
6.30 P.M.
THEEB
Arabic 2014 100 minutes
Naji Abu Nowar
Set in western Arabia in 1916, Theeb (meaning wolf) tells the
story of two brothers from a Bedouin family of pilgrim guides. One
evening a British soldier and his Arab escort appear out of the
desert and ask to be guided to a well near the Mecca railway. One
of the brothers agrees but as the journey unfolds, he realises there
is more to the soldier’s plans than first appeared.
April 6
6.30 P.M.
THE GRANDMASTER
Mandarin 2013 108 minutes
Wong Kar-Wei
An elegant, stylised film inspired by the life of kung fu master Ip
Man. Director Wong, whose masterpiece In the Mood for Love we
showed some years ago, has again produced a gorgeous, absorbing
work, but this time on an epic scale. Full of balletic set pieces, this
is a film that demands the big screen.
Open Film 2016
January 6
6.30 P.M.
LEVIATHAN
Russian 2015 141 minutes
Andrey Zvyagintsev
A parable of a small man fighting against corrupt officialdom in
today’s Russia. Taking its title from Hobbes and its inspiration
from Job, the film tells of the woes of Kolia, who is about to be
driven to despair by forces beyond his control. With stunning
shots of the Barents Sea and first-rate acting, this is a demanding,
uncompromising film.
January 13
6.30 P.M.
THE GERMAN DOCTOR
Spanish/German 2013 93 minutes
Lucía Puenzo
It’s 1960 in a German enclave at the foot of the Andes, where a
newly arrived doctor is befriended by a local family. His interest
soon alights on the daughter, who is struggling to grow as fast as
her peers. But the parents scarcely suspect the monster they have
allowed in, for it is Mengele, on the run from Mossad. When news
breaks of Eichmann’s kidnapping, events move to a dramatic climax.
January 20
IT FOLLOWS
6.30 P.M.
English 2014 100 minutes
David Robert Mitchell
After having sex with her boyfriend, Jay finds herself pursued by ‘It’
– a shape-shifting spectre. The only way to avoid death is to have
sex again, with a willing partner, thereby passing on the curse. If ‘It’
kills its next prey then the curse goes back up the chain.
‘…some sensational set pieces of fear and suspense.’ Guardian
February 17
6.30 P.M.
CHINESE PUZZLE
French 2013 117 minutes
Cedric Klapisch
A comedy, a farce, a soufflé! A group of self-obsessed
40 somethings descend on New York, where they wreak havoc on
neighbours, children and one another. A film that may appeal to
fans of Julie Delpy and Woody Allen.
February 24
6.30 P.M.
April 13
6.30 P.M.
THE HOMESMAN
English 2014 122 minutes
Tommy Lee Jones
A western that has been denounced for misogyny and praised for
being feminist! Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank) bravely volunteers
to transport three women from Nebraska back east to Iowa. The
women have become mentally ill from the rigors and brutality of
frontier life. On the way she enlists the help of ‘homesman’ George
Briggs (Jones).
HUMAN CAPITAL
Italian 2013 108 minutes
Paolo Virzi
Based on Stephen Amidon’s book of the same title but re-located
from Connecticut to Milan, the film faithfully portrays greedy and
cynical lives. Two families become entangled through their children
and a car incident. One family is very rich whilst the other is
upwardly mobile.
March 2
6.30 P.M.
STILL LIFE
English 2013 92 minutes
Uberto Pasolini
John (Eddie Marsan) works for the local council and has the
unenviable job of locating the relatives of recently deceased loners
and arranging the funeral. He lovingly carries out his duties, fully
aware that he is in line for the same fate. Then in a downsizing
operation he is made redundant, but there is one final case to
attend to.
March 9
IN BLOOM
6.30 P.M.
Georgian 2014 102 minutes
Nana Ekvtimishvili
Set in Tbilisi, soon after the break-up of the USSR, we follow the
rites of passage of two 14-year-old girls amid the chaos of civil
war. Male violence is the underlying theme. It is a world in which
a gun can be a token of affection, a marriage proposal looks like a
kidnapping and love and death are never far apart.
You can visit our website at http://www.openfilmsociety.co.uk/
You can tweet about us on http://www.twitter.com/OU_Film
The Open Film Society may be contacted by emailing [email protected].
Films will be shown in the Open University Hub Theatre on Walton Hall Campus,
entrance to which is from Groveway (H9) or Brickhill Street (V10). Please park in
Church Parking (see map). Full membership of the Society costs £75 (equivalent to
£2.88 per film). Associate membership (5-film pass) at £25 allows entry to any FIVE
films. Guests are welcome with tickets (1-film pass) on sale at the door 15 minutes
before each performance at a cost of £6.50 per film (£5.00 concessions with proof
of status). Drinks and snacks can be bought in the Hub Bar from 5.30 pm. No one
under the age of 16 can be admitted.