At this time of year, love is certainly in the air, but is it all you need? This program of films delves into the many different cinematic manifestations of love and relationships, just in time for Valentine's Day. From Ang Lee's complex, NC-17-rated Lust, Caution, which examines a dark and manipulative relationship between a Chinese revolutionary and a traitor, to the exuberant, Beatles-inspired Across the Universe, to the unusually sweet relationship between an introverted young man and a silicone doll in Lars and the Real Girl, these films show the scope of love, and both confirm and question romance's place in modern life.
Our series also includes a new print of Pierrot le fou, Godard's classic 'love on the run' picture, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Godard's then wife, Anna Karina, and John Turturro's magical Romance and Cigarettes, an “energetic, stylish musical about love, sex and death [which] is such an outrageous film that it's almost impossible not to adore it.” (Time Out London) And celebrate Valentine's Day with two classic romances! Woody Allen's Manhattan follows the director/leading man's quest for a stable and loving relationship in the non-stop city of New York, encountering many women along the way. The classic Audrey Hepburn flick Roman Holiday features Hepburn as a princess discovering the ever-romantic city of Rome, and is taken under the wing of dashing American ex-pat reporter Gregory Peck, and follows them as they find love in the Eternal City.
Two films from Latin America round out the series—Brazil's Love for Sale and Peru's Madeinusa—both telling very different sorts of 'love' stories. This series shows that although not all love is created equal, it is surely one of life's necessities!