We Need To Talk: Conversation on Film
Thursday, September 25, 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Instructor: Paul McEwan, Ph.D., Muhlenberg College
Some films age well because they seem timeless. Others age well because they reflect a particular moment and our perceptions of them shift in enriching ways. When it appeared in 2010, The Social Network benefited from some of our then-naïve fascination with social media. This was a story of American entrepreneurship in which Mark Zuckerberg was a flawed hero, but his antagonists were even less sympathetic, and we got to watch him build a billion-dollar business from a dorm room.
Fifteen years later, it’s impossible to read the film as a tale of plucky success. Social networks are no longer primarily about connecting with family and friends. We find ourselves in a society that has been profoundly shaped by social media and by the choices of the people who own tech empires. In some places and moments, lives have been completely upended.
David Fincher (Se7en, Zodiac) has long been interested in the darkness in men’s souls, and he makes an ideal pairing with screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing), an expert in depicting men (and occasionally women) who are trying to show off how smart they are. Together they created a film that is, in the tradition of Citizen Kane or There Will Be Blood, an essential examination of the excesses and ethics of American capitalism.
Are you interested in “just” seeing this movie? Visit the public screening page here.
Cinema Classics Seminars offer an entertaining and engaging way to learn more about some of the true classics of world cinema. All students receive an introductory lecture before the film and a guided discussion after the film. In addition, those in attendance receive a ticket to see it on the big screen, as well as popcorn and a drink. Please note: the screening associated with this seminar will be open to the public, as well.
Please contact BMFI Programs and Education Manager Jill Malcolm with any questions.
$30 for members, $40 for non-members
Schedule