Monday Night Foreign Film Series
VIRTUAL CINEMA
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NY Times Critic’s Pick!! Streaming this Friday is the audacious and thrilling “MARTIN EDEN,” an ingenious adaptation of the Jack London novel. Stream from your iphone, ipad or computer to your Big Screen. 16 films with unlimited viewing for 3 to 7 days for $4.99/$12 per film. Click on link below or go to: www.oxnardfilmsociety.org – Thanks and stay safe.
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Martin Eden
2019 ITALY 2hr 3min
Drama/Romance NR
In Italian with English subtitles
Adapted from a 1909 novel by Jack London yet set in a provocatively unspecified moment in Italy’s history, Martin Eden is a passionate and enthralling narrative fresco in the tradition of the great Italian classics. Martin (played by the marvelously committed Luca Marinelli) is a self-taught proletarian with artistic aspirations who hopes that his dreams of becoming a writer will help him rise above his station and marry a wealthy young university student (Jessica Cressy). The dissatisfactions of working-class toil and bourgeois success lead to political awakening and destructive anxiety in this enveloping, superbly mounted bildungsroman. Winner of the Best Actor prize at the Venice Film Festival and the Platform Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Reviews
“An absolute blast. Includes documentary footage, wealthy decadence, left-wing politics, angry speeches (in Italian!), beautiful women, square-jawed men, quotations from Baudelaire and the heroic deployment of manual typewriters, hand-rolled cigarettes, ascots and Volvo sedans. Everything I love in movies, more or less.”
– A.O. Scott, The New York Times.
Read Manohla Dargis’ rave review – NY Times Critic’s Pick
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RBG
2018 USA 1hr 37min
Documentary PG (Some Thematic Elements|Language)
In English
At the age of 85, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has developed a lengthy legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon. But the unique personal journey of her rise to the nation’s highest court has been largely unknown, even to some of her biggest fans – until now. RBG explores Ginsburg’s life and career.
Film Sponsor: Jane and Denny Dwire
Reviews
“This woman is a force, and the great service this clear-eyed and admiring documentary provides is to emphasize not just Ginsburg’s work on the court but how extraordinarily influential she was before she even got there.”
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Loving Vincent
2017 UK 1hr 35min
Art, Biography, Drama, Animation
PG-13 (Sexual Material/Mature Thematic Elements/Some Violence
In English
Mystery surrounds the death of famed painter Vincent van Gogh in 1890 France.
LOVING VINCENT, the world’s first fully painted feature film, brings the paintings of Vincent van Gogh to life to tell his remarkable story.
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Film Sponsor: Margaret Cortese
Reviews
“Loving Vincent is gorgeous. It’s a film of immersive beauty.”
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Jimmy Carter
Rock and Roll President
2020 USA 1hr 38min
Documentary NR
In English
If it hadn’t been for a bottle of scotch and a late-night visit from musician Gregg Allman, Jimmy Carter might never have been elected the 39th President of the United States. The documentary charts the mostly forgotten story of how Carter, a lover of all types of music, forged a tight bond with musicians Willie Nelson, the Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan and others. Low on campaign funds and lacking in name recognition, Carter relied on support from these artists to give him a crucial boost in the Democratic primaries. Once Carter was elected, the musicians became frequent guests in the White House. The surprisingly significant role that music played throughout Carter’s life and in his work becomes a thread in this engaging portrait of one of the most enigmatic Presidents in American history.
Reviews
“An irresistible blend of music, politics and lifelong friendships neatly pulled together into a riveting entertainment that has your foot tapping and your heart soaring.” – Al Alexander, The Patriot Ledger
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A Stupid Dog
2019 France 1hr 39min
Comedy NR
In French with English Subtitles
Henri is a middle-aged writer with fading inspiration. Feeling increasingly misunderstood by his family, he dreams of running away to start over again. Yet when he discovers a bad-mannered dog in his garden, he decides to adopt him, starting an unexpected friendship that inevitably upsets Henri’s family and neighbors.
The bittersweet and moving comedy about love standing the test of time stars iconic real-life couple Charlotte Gainsbourg and Yvan Attal.
Reviews
“There’s something intimate about the film… as if Attal and Gainsbourg were taking aspects of their own relationship and using them to fuel and give dimension to the characters they’re playing.” – Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
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The Tobacconist
2018 Germany 1hr 54min
Drama NR
In German with English Subtitles
Seventeen year-old Franz journeys to Vienna to apprentice at a tobacco shop. There he meets Sigmund Freud (Bruno Ganz, “Wings of Desire”, “Downfall”), a regular customer, and over time the two very different men form a singular friendship. When Franz falls desperately in love with the music-hall dancer Anezka, he seeks advice from the renowned psychoanalyst, who admits that the female sex is as big a mystery to him as it is to Franz. As political and social conditions in Austria dramatically worsen with the Nazis’ arrival in Vienna, Franz, Freud, and Anezka are swept into the maelstrom of events. Each has a big decision to make: to stay or to flee?
Reviews
“Stunning! A vibrant coming-of-age story and an intriguing portrayal of Sigmund Freud, expertly portrayed by Bruno Ganz.” – – Stephen Farber, Hollywood Reporter
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Dark Circle
1982 USA 1hr 28min
Documentary NR
In English
It’s been 75 years this month since the start of the Atomic Age, with the U.S. nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing hundreds of thousands of civilians, but its trail of destruction has never ended.
Dark Circle covers both the period’s beginnings and its aftermath, providing a scientific primer on the catastrophic power of nuclear energy while also relating tragic human stories detailing the devastating toll radioactive toxicity has taken on people and livestock—focusing in large part on Rocky Flats, Colorado, whose plutonium processing facility infamously contaminated the surrounding area.
Documentary Grand Prize winner at Sundance, Academy shortlisted for Best Documentary, and Emmy winner, Dark Circle is no less potent today than it was 40 years ago.
Film Sponsor: Veterans for Peace – Ventura County Chapter #112
Reviews
“One of the most horrifying films I’ve seen, and also sometimes one of the funniest (if you can laugh at the same things in real life that you found amusing in Dr. Strangelove). Using powers granted by the Freedom of Information Act, and sleuthing that turned up government film the government didn’t even know it had, the producers of this film have created a mosaic of the Atomic Age. It is a tribute to the power of the material, and to the relentless digging of the droppable-1597986185621filmmakers, that the movie is completely riveting. Four Stars!” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
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John Lewis: Good Trouble
2020 USA 1hr 39min
Documentary PG(for thematic material including some racial epithets/violence, and for smoking)
In English
Using interviews and rare archival footage, JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE chronicles Lewis’ 60-plus years of social activism and legislative action on civil rights, voting rights, gun control, health-care reform and immigration. Using present-day interviews with Lewis, now 80 years old, Porter explores his childhood experiences, his inspiring family and his fateful meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1957. In addition to her interviews with Lewis and his family, Porter’s primarily cinéma verité film also includes interviews with political leaders, Congressional colleagues, and other people who figure prominently in his life.
Reviews
“There’s a lot to glean from the battleground Lewis has stood on for six decades while demanding fairness, a hope, and dream, of every American. Good Trouble is of importance now more than ever.” – Priscilla Ward, Salon.com
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Ai Weiwei: Truly Yours
2019 USA 1hr 19min
Documentary NR
In English, Mandarin and Arabic, with English Subtitles
Human rights become profoundly personal when Ai Weiwei, China’s most famous artist, transforms Alcatraz Island into an astonishing expression of socially-engaged art focused on the plight of the unjustly incarcerated. At the core of the monumental installation were portraits of prisoners of conscience made with Lego blocks, coupled with the opportunity to send letters to prisoners and their families. In her impassioned and powerful film, Cheryl Haines captures the exhibit from conception to opening, and also visits current and former political prisoners including American whistleblower Chelsea Manning.
Reviews
“One of the great films of the year! A near-perfect look at Weiwei’s art installation that took place on Alcatraz Island. Truly magical…a must-see!”
-Steve Kopian, Unseen films
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A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps
2019 USA 1hr 46min
Documentary NR
In English
A Towering Task tells the remarkable story of the Peace Corps and takes viewers on a journey of what it means to be a global citizen.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy gave young Americans the opportunity to serve their country in a new way by forming the Peace Corps. Since then, more than 200,000 of them have traveled to more than 140 countries to carry out the organization’s mission of international cooperation.
Directed by Alana DeJoseph and narrated by Annette Bening, the documentary features indelible interviews of current and Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, current and former staff, scholars and journalists, community members and leaders around the world (including Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf). Remarkable archival materials and stunning footage from around the globe by cinematographer Vanessa Carr bring to life an agency that represents to the world the American idea. By expertly weaving together personal volunteer experiences with the political machinations of the time, screenwriter Shana Kelly provides viewers with a visceral experience of Kennedy’s words “what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Nearly 60 years later, Americans – young and old alike – still want to serve their country and understand their place in the world; current volunteers work at the forefront of some of the most pressing issues facing the global community.
Film Sponsor: Lauraine Effress
Review:
“Enlightening and uplifting. A Towering Task puts a human face on the Peace Corps – and makes sense of its history of idealism, improvisation, politics. It is a most coherent and satisfying documentary.”- Paul Theroux,Travel Writer & Novelist
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The Audition
2020 Germany 1hr 39min
Drama NR
In German and French with English Subtitles
Anna Bronsky is a violin teacher at a music-focused high school. Despite the opposition of all other teachers, Anna drives through the admission of a student, Alexander, in whom she detects a remarkable talent. Committed, she prepares him for the intermediate exam and neglects her family – her son Jonas, whom she brings into competition with her new student, and her husband Philippe. Her colleague Christian, with whom she has an affair, persuades her to join a quintet. When she fails during their joint concert, the pressure mounts and she focuses all her attention on her student Alexander. Come the day of the exam, events take a tragic turn.
Reviews
“A treat that becomes a chilling enthrallment, one of those closely observed dramas you love — for its intimacy, calm authority and mystery — even before you begin to get what it’s really about.” – – Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
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House of Hummingbird
2020 South Korea 2hr 18min
Drama NR
In Korean with English Subtitles
Set against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding Seoul in 1994, a lonely 14-year-old Eun-hee moves through life like a hummingbird searching for a taste of sweetness wherever she may find it. Deprived of attention from her family, she roams the neighborhood with her best friend, attempts romantic relationships with both girls and boys alike and is sent to the hospital with an unclear diagnosis. When Young-ji, a new teacher, arrives, she becomes the first adult Eun-hee feels really understands her.
Reviews
“Sensitive and lived-in and strong in ways that a more forceful version of this story could never have been, Bora’s debut sketches a portrait of a girl coming into her own strength.” – David Ehrlich, indieWire
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Hill of Freedom
2014 South Korea 1hr 7min
Drama NR
In English, Korean and Japanese with English Subtitles
Kwon (Seo Young-hwa) returns to Seoul from a restorative stay in the mountains. She is given a packet of letters left by Mori (Ryo Kase, Like Someone In Love), who has come back from Japan to propose to her. As she walks down a flight of stairs, Kwon drops and scatters the letters, all of which are undated. When she reads them, she has to make sense of the chronology… and so must we. Shot in the narrow alleys, petite cafes and beautiful hanok inns of Seoul’s historic Jong-ro district, a favorite Hong location, Hill of Freedom is a masterful, alternately funny and haunting, tale of love and longing from the great director.
Review:
“Critic’s Pick! Hong Sang-soo’s film, structured as a letter with the pages out of order, is one of his most daring gambits… The ingenuity of the movie’s structure is stimulating and delightful.” — Glenn Kenny, The New York Times
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Shanghai Triad
1995 China/France 1hr 48min
Drama/Crime Rated R (for some language and images of violence)
In Mandarin with English Subtitles
Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee, SHANGHAI TRIAD is a thrilling and sumptuously stylized potboiler about the Chinese criminal underworld of the 1930’s from legendary director Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, House of Flying Daggers).
Hired to be a servant to pampered nightclub singer and mob moll Xiao Jinbao (Gong Li, Ju Dou, Farewell My Concubine), naive teenager Shuisheng (Wang Xiaoxiao) is thrust into the glamorous and deadly demimonde of Shanghai’s crime syndicates. Over the course of seven days, Shuisheng observes mounting tensions as triad boss Tang begins to suspect traitors amongst his ranks and rivals for Xiao Jinbao’s affections.
Reviews
“It has impeccable flow and balance. And Gong Li’s performance – a portrait of a capricious and indulgent woman who gains depth as we watch her – is one of her finest.” –Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle
“Some of the most stunning screen images ever.”
–Jack Matthews, Newsday
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Beanpole
2020 Russia 2hr 19min
Drama NR
In Russian with English Subtitles
2020 Academy Awards® Best International Feature Film – Official Selection of Russia
In post-WWII Leningrad, two women, Iya and Masha (astonishing newcomers Viktoria Miroshnichenko and Vasilisa Perelygina), 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 shell-shocked hospital, presiding over traumatized soldiers. A shocking accident brings them closer and also seals their fates. The 28-year-old Russian director Kantemir Balagov won Un Certain Regard’s Best Director prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for this richly burnished, occasionally harrowing rendering of the persistent scars of war.
Reviews
“Critic’s Pick. Dazzling… a brilliantly told, deeply moving story about love… from the sensationally talented Russian director Kantemir Balagov.”
– Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
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George J. Sandoval, Executive Director
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The Oxnard Film Society is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. (#20-5734347)
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