OLEANNA   1994
Directed by David Mamet
90 minutes
In English

Scriptwriter David Mamet has attacked both the stage and the silver screen with a fervor unequalled in recent times. The Untouchables, Glengarry Glen Ross and Wag the Dog are several of his piercing visions. He is known for a special quality of craft, and also for treading on uneasy ground. But nowhere in his career did he come into as much controversy as he did with his theatre piece Oleanna, which he decided to transform into a film by himself. So, on a minimal budget, he stripped everything down, went location-scouting and found an abandoned mental institution, where he began unraveling his uncomfortable narrative for the screen.

Pretty much impossible to say anything about this film without giving away too much. Let's just say it is an intense drama about student-teacher relationships, but that it is equally applicable to an examination of male-female relationships in general, especially in light of the recent Metoo movement. The film can also be seen in another light though: a searing criticism of academia and universities that promise students a wealth of knowledge and experience, but actually don't deliver much at all. Students mostly exit their 'schools of higher learning' little wiser than they were before - just as confused and just as unable to survive in the world. Yet again, this movie can also be seen as a class war - those who struggle to get someplace in our society, and those who bask in their power. Pretty volatile stuff all around.

This flick throws you into the thick of it, and it splits audiences like mad. It forces you to question your own feelings and beliefs. Even with your best friend you might find yourselves on different sides of the divide this movie creates, and that's great because it means meaningful conversation is possible. But in the end Oleanna is a dramatic tour de force - packed with riveting dialogue and high-voltage emotional situations, perfectly captured by Mamet himself. I should also mention that, as a writer, Mamet has an almost musical style with language:he takes a conversation and smashes it, and then reorganizes it into a verbal mosaic. And like I said, this film has taken on even more meaning than it had in 1994, reflecting on issues that are presently tearing Western societies apart.

This will be a high-definition screening.