If “4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days” made you want to crawl into a hole and never come out (like it did me), I feel that it is my duty to remind you that there is hope… and even a little hope from the Film Series. With “Fantasia” tonight, and two short Surrealist films on Thursday, it’ll be easy to break away from the clutches of scary realism and escape to flights of fancy — or at least to a warped version of reality that approaches fantasy. This week does, of course, feature a substantial shift from visual music to a more aggressive cinematic tradition — “Fantasia” will lift you up, creating another, more magical world; while Thursday’s films will tear down your understanding, undermine your faith, slice open your eyeballs… but, you know, in a good way.

And if you want a dose of fiction, or of real life that seems like fiction, be sure to come out for “Yojimbo” and “The Counterfeiters” (respectively).

FANTASIA
USA, Dir. Ben Sharpsteen, 1940. 120 min.
TONIGHT, Sept. 26, 8 p.m. $5
This is a bona fide masterpiece of animation, of Technicolor cinema (the first Technicolor films made with a full palette came from Disney), and, most importantly, of avant-garde film. The group of artists and animators who created this piece came from varied backgrounds, but the most significant influence on this cartoon feature was that of the avant-garde and Surrealist artists who infused it with their experimental aesthetics. Of course, you could just sit back, relax and enjoy the fairies, the dancing brooms, the hippos… I could go on.

YOJIMBO
Japan, Dir. Akira Kurosawa, 1961. 110 min.
Saturday, Sept. 27, 8 p.m. FREE!
This desperate film from Kurosawa tells the story of a ronin for hire, and the two overlords hoping to sic him on the other. Blood and deceit drip from every frame.

THE COUNTERFEITERS
Austria/Germany, Dir. Stefan Ruzowitzky, 2007. 98 min.
Wednesday, Oct. 1, 8 p.m. $5
Based on a true story, this film exposes the Nazi counterfeiting ring that sought to undermine the Allied economies in WWII, and the slimy, troubled prisoners who were forced to assist them. One of the more praised films from last year, and one of the least seen.

UN CHIEN ANDALOU
France, Dir. Luis Buñuel, 1927. 16 min.
Thursday, Oct. 2, 8 p.m. FREE!
Surrealism at its most famous – a film that defies explanation, and can only be understood through the juxtaposition of its disturbing and delightful images. Or by listening to the Pixies.

and

L’AGE D’OR
France, Dir. Luis Buñuel, 1930. 60 min.
Not seen in the states until 1979, this was Buñuel’s first feature, with slightly more of a narrative than “Un Chien Andalou.” It’s a passionate love story, we’re pretty sure. At any rate, it’s a treat that is not to be missed.