For the second week in a row, we’d like to begin with an apology. When Joseph grabbed a hard copy of The Argus from the base of the Usdan stairs, he knew that its weight felt too light. Something was missing. As he scoured our column, his hands started to shake out of fear that we’d done something wrong. Only when he reached the closing line of the intro did he discover that we’d left last week’s article unfinished, bereft of its most crucial component. Here’s what was missing:
“We look forward to reading your replies at cinefilesdigital@gmail.com, but in the meantime, catch you at the Goldsmith!”
This forgotten sentence—our phantom limb—continues to haunt us as it reaches out in vain for the emails it was unable to shepherd home. Reading it again, we think of what could have been: an inbox flooded with thoughtful and innovative responses to last week’s two exciting questions, if only readers knew where to send their responses. It’s time for the truth: We haven’t gotten any emails since April 24, 2016. We check every night, each login a nocturnal cry into the void, compounding in an endless echo that grows louder and more forlorn as we continue to clear the digital dust from an inbox filled only with the weight of time.
Let’s rewind to a gloomy day in October of 2015. A dimly lit room is surrounded by the mild patter of rain, and made a little bit warmer by the whir of the laptop nestled between us, casting light on our hopeful, young faces. We’ve just had an idea. Perhaps that whir could become a chorus. Perhaps the pattering rain could be drowned out by a clatter of fingers on keyboards across campus. Perhaps our young faces could be lit up by the fiery passion of every tech-savvy Argus reader eager to approach the silver screen from a digital angle.
Screen name? Jonaseph Lipsebio. Do you accept the terms and conditions? Yes.
Welcome to Gmail. And the gates opened.
Décor
Wednesday, Sept. 21. 8 p.m. Free.
Director Abdallah is often considered the leader of the critically acclaimed new independent Egyptian cinema. Here, he blends his characteristic aesthetic invention with a narrative construction that brings light to the loneliness of mental illness. Maha, a financially- and spiritually-deprived production designer, is transported into the persona of the housewife within the film that she was designing. What follows is a beautiful ode to the golden era of 1940s and 1950s Egyptian cinema, and a selection of remarkable narrative turns.
Le Havre
Thursday, Sept. 22. 8 p.m. Free.
An African immigrant is separated from his family upon arrival in the port town of Le Havre, only to find refuge with an unassuming shoeshiner who protects him from a dogged immigration inspector. A treat for long-time Kaurismäki fans as well as newcomers, the Finnish auteur’s 17th feature is a perfect entry point into the director’s oeuvre, featuring the deadpan performances, bare-bones compositions, and lovingly-stilted musical performances for which the director is known.
Pan’s Labyrinth
Friday, Sept. 23. 8 p.m. $5.
Five years after the Spanish Civil War, Ofelia travels with her mother to the countryside to live with her stepfather, the tyrannical Captain Vidal. There, the horrors of the Captain’s efforts to quell the revolution are supplanted by Ofelia’s forays into a supernatural world of dubious fauns, giant toads, and mystical trials intended to earn her immortality. A political allegory and modern fairytale, del Toro’s breakout film is certain to stand the test of time thanks to outstanding production design, virtuosic effects and costume work, and emphatic performances by actors and creatures alike.
Topsy-Turvy
Saturday, Sept. 24. 8 p.m. Free.
“Topsy-Turvy” is master director Leigh’s ode to the wildly successful Victorian-era theatrical partnership of Gilbert and Sullivan. Leigh tracks the duo with precision and verve as they bring their timeless comic opera “The Mikado” to life. A film both hilarious and full, one critic writes, “The sense of a work of art coming to life has rarely been more beautifully or excitingly portrayed.”