The term is winding down and unfortunately so is the UCSB Arts and Lectures Series programming. This past week David and I expanded our horizons by going to the Santa Barbara Human Rights Film Festival. The Film festival lasted three nights showed two movies each night.
Day 1:
The first movie of the night was "4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days".
"Two college roommates in Romania arrange for an illegal abortion during the final days of communism and find themselves burrowing down a rabbit hole of unexpected revelations. The top prize winner at the Cannes Film Festival, Cristian Mungiu's thrilling film transpires over the course of a single day."
At first I didn't know what to think about this movie. After letting everything set in though this movie was very insightful, intriguing, and thought provoking. I felt bad worse for the friend who helped procure the abortion than I did for the woman who actually had the abortion. I was awed at her loyalty to her friend through everything that happened to her.
The second movie was "The Violin".
"A humble Mexican farmer executes a plan to recover weapons hidden on behalf of the peasant guerilla movement that he secretly supports. Culminating in a tenuous game of cat-and-mouse, this 'exquisitely suspenseful' (Variety) film was a Cannes Official Selection."
The directors choice to shoot this film in black and white paid off big time. The use of black and white mirrored the contrast/conflict at the focus of the film, added to the dramatic affect and made the movie relatable to many South American regions where these types of conflicts existed and or still exist today. This was a very powerful film. I was amazed at the courage and perseverance it took for the old man to do what he did.
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