Culture/elle - Cinema

So, although I haven't posted, I've actually been doing a lot of thinking about my general life improvement plan that I talked about last month. The idea was threefold: I'd actively make use of my time abroad; I'd actually read (and finish) 50 books; and I'd improve my health. I feel like an ideal name for this project would be Culture/elle - a silly little jeu de mots on the French word culturel, which becomes culturelle when feminised, and elle, the French word for she. How has this been going for me? Let's do a review!*

In making use of my time abroad: my friend and I decided that one cultural activity per week would be enough, and from the very beginning our definition of 'cultural' activities has been very broad. We've been to a lovely independent cinema here, Studio Cinémas, twice - once to see an indie French film called 2 Automnes, 3 Hivers and the second time to see Hayao Miyazaki's Le Vent Se Leve. French film is probably the aspect I appreciate and enjoy most about French culture, outside of the gastronomy, of course. Ever since the Nouvelle Vague years, there has been an emphasis placed on artistry in French cinema that simply isn't present in dominant American cinema culture. The Studio Ciné is nice because it does show films like 2 Automnes and not just every mainstream American release. I found the film to be a lot more experimental than I'd been expecting: a love story presented as a documentary. But it was down to earth and, aside from a strange moment near the end where the characters started singing, it was actually sweet and enjoyable. Another great thing about Studio Cinéma is that almost all of their films are VO unless otherwise stated. That is to say, all their films are subbed. I've never been a fan of dubbing. Even when I don't understand the original language (as was the case with Le Vent se Leve), I'd much rather read the subtitles and listen to the original actors voices. Of course, reading subs in a language not my own provided a slight challenge, but honestly it wasn't nearly enough to impede my my appreciation of the film, or to stop the transmission of sad feelings from it to me. I don't know that I'd actively recommend either of these films, but the Miyazaki was definitely my favourite, although somewhat different from his usual style.

Given the threefold nature of Culture/elle, and also my lack of posts for an entire month, I will split my review up. Hopefully this month I'll do better and post as things happen so that my review can really be just that: a look over the months achievements.

This, then, has been film. I have watched other films in French (I'm counting La Reine des Neiges), and am taking two film classes this semester which have proved very interesting. I also have a loyalty card for Studio Cinéma so fingers crossed for trips to come!

Next Culture/elle will probably coming very soon, and I'll be talking about my trip to Sweden!