Film: Take My Eyes (Spain), Tue April 3rd, 7pm, Memorial Union Lecture Bowl

[Anthro Boy]

Global Visions Film Series

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

?Take My Eyes? (Spain)

7:00 p.m.

Lecture Bowl, Memorial Union

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Funded by the Multicultural Awareness Committee

Sponsored by the Department of Anthropology and the Anthropology Clug



Spanish director Iciar Bollain tackles the harsh reality of domestic violence in Spain in this gritty drama, focusing on a woman?s personal battle between love and fear, as well as raising interesting questions about the wider cultural picture of a patriarchal society.



Scooping seven Goya awards (Spain's equivalent of the Oscars), Bollain's dramatic portrayal of Pilar, played brilliantly by Laia Marull, as a woman trapped in a relationship with an insecure and aggressive husband, Antonio, (Luis Tosar), owes more than a nod to the films of Ken Loach, in particular Nil By Mouth. Interestingly, Bollain has actually written a book about the famous British director and is married to his friend and collaborator, Paul Laverty.



Like Loach's cinema, the emphasis is on serious issues, seriously treated, hinting at the inescapable complexities of loving an abuser. However, there are also fleeting moments of comedy in rather unexpected circumstances. During the anger management sessions, despite the seriousness of the situation, you can?t help but chuckle as the men attempt to deal with their aggression towards women by removing their built-in gendered stereotypes and getting in touch with their feminine side, simply by asking the wife: ?How was your day??

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