CONTEMPORARY EUROPEAN CINEMA SERIES

Where: Busan Cinematheque

When: May 7-23

This month, the Busan Cinematheque is running a series of films by contemporary European directors. Unfortunately, it’s a pretty sad sample and most of the continent’s greatest working auteurs are conspicuously absent. Apart from the “Four Seasons” by Eric Rohmer (who, as of January, can sadly no longer be called a contemporary), the only film worth checking out is Bela Tarr’s “Werckmeister Harmonies.” Clocking in at a mere 2 hours and 25 minutes, it’s much less of a commitment than sitting down to watch Tarr’s other masterpiece, a 7 and a half hour beast of a movie appropriately entitled “Satantango.” Other than the obvious difference in length, both films share a unique vision of the world that translates on-screen into pure cinematic bliss. But unless you’re brave enough to gamble 8 hours of your time on one of my recommendations, I advise you to start with the considerably trimmer “Werckmeister Harmonies”.

Films With English Subtitles:

A Summer’s Tale (Eric Rohmer, 1996)

A Tale of Spring (Eric Rohmer, 1990)

Werckmeister Harmonies (Bela Tarr, 2000)

Smoking (Alain Resnais, 1993)

No Smoking (Alain Resnais, 1993)

The Secret of the Grain (Abdel Kechiche, 2007)

Games of Love and Chance (Abdel Kechiche, 2003)

Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl (Manoel de Oliveira, 2009)