What do we see in a film? How are things presented to us? In what way does the combination of these two parts of film watching inform us about another culture and society? Our focus will be:
- The French worlds we will see in the four films viewed
- The way in which the four films present their portraits of French society
- How these combinations influence our understanding and impression of French society and culture
Instructor Kevin Elstob has selected four films available on Netflix for class discussion. Each week a new film will be assigned to watch on your own at home. Each scheduled class session will take place via Zoom as a discussion group with the instructor for his lecture and review of the film as a group.
The four films assigned are:
- Nothing to Hide (2018) To spice up a dinner party, old friends agree to share every private message that pops up on their phones -- with disastrous results.
- Let's Dance (2019) After his crew breaks up, a gifted but insecure hip-hop dancer teaches at a top ballet school in Paris, where he falls for an aspiring ballerina.
- Shéhérazade (2019) Fresh out of juvenile detention in Marseille, 17-year-old Zach falls for a young prostitute and soon faces a dire dilemma while working as a pimp. (This film was a 2018 Cannes Film Festival Golden Camera nominee.)
- Uncorked (2020) A young man feels torn between his dream of becoming a master sommelier and his father’s expectations that he’ll take over the family barbecue business.
Additional details about the films will come your way via email from the instructor.
NOTE: To participate in the class, you will be sent a link to the Zoom classroom the day before the FIRST class session. Participants are expected to save that Zoom link to use for all sessions of the class. You may participate by phone if you do not have a computer, laptop or tablet with a built-in microphone. OLLI volunteers are available to help you with any questions you have about using Zoom - just let us know - we are happy to arrange a tutorial by phone.
If you do not already have a Netflix account: you can easily get an account for less than $10 a month by visiting their website at netflix.com. (There is also a free 30 day trial offer.) Based on your equipment at home, you can watch Netflix on computer, tablet, laptop, television and even smart phone. Be sure to scroll down the Netflix site to the frequently asked questions for in-depth details.