Posted on 31 July 2009
Sixteen-year-old Juan crashes his family’s car into a telegraph pole on the outskirts of his small town in Yucatan, then scours the streets searching for someone to help him fix it. His quest will bring him to Don Heber, a paranoid elderly mechanic whose only companion is his boxer dog, Sica; to Lucía, a young mother who is convinced that her real place in life is as a lead singer in a punk band; and to “The One who Knows,” a teenage mechanic obsessed with martial arts and Kung Fu philosophy. The absurd and bewildering worlds of these characters pull Juan into a one-day journey in which he will come to accept what he was escaping from in the first place–an event both as natural and inexplicable as a loved one’s death. In Spanish with English subtitles. Admission is $6 for all UM alumni, faculty, and staff, and is free for students. General admission is $8. The film screens on Friday, August 7 at 7 p.m., Saturday, August 8 at 4:30 and 9 p.m. and Sunday, August 9 at 2 and 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.cosfordcinema.com.
Posted on 31 July 2009
Seraphine arrives from France as the year’s most honored film, winner of seven Cesars from the French Academy, including Best Film and Best Actress. Based on a true story, Seraphine centers on Séraphine de Senlis (Yolande Moreau), a simple and profoundly devout housekeeper whose brilliantly colorful canvases now adorn some of the most famous galleries in the world. Wilhelm Uhde (Ulrich Tukur), a German art critic and collector–he was the first Picasso buyer and discoverer of naïve primitive painter Le Douanier Rousseau–discovers her paintings while she is working for him as a maid in the beautiful countryside of Senlis near Paris in the early part of the 20th century. A moving and unexpected relationship develops between the avant-garde art dealer and the visionary cleaning lady. Martin Provost’s fictionalized and poignant portrait of this forgotten painter is a testament to creativity and the resilience of one woman’s spirit. The film is in French and German with English subtitles. Admission is $6 for all UM alumni, faculty, and staff, and free for students. General admission is $8. The film screens on Friday, August 7 at 9 p.m., Saturday, August 8 at 2 and 6:30 p.m., and Sunday, August 9 at 4 and 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.cosfordcinema.com.