Let me convince you to try a foreign film!

As I considered what to write about in my first opportunity to participate in the library's local blog postings, I remembered a recent passage in a letter I had written to a friend I correspond with.  In the passage I described a film I had recently seen.  Here is what I said about the film:

"It is a German film and is called Barbara.  It is about a doctor who lived in East Germany in the 80's, who had been banished to a rural hospital as punishment for requesting to leave East Germany... 

I was surprised at how beautiful the countryside is in that part of Germany.  I had not known that.  The filming location was on the coast of the Baltic Sea, and it seems to be very windy there.  There are all of these beautiful scenes with the main character zipping along on her bicycle in wonderful wild winds, next to the trees lining the coast.  I think that was my favorite part of the film!  It prompted me to go on-line today and look at the area.  It is so beautiful!"

The film I was describing to my friend is a recent foreign film purchase, added to the Waverly branch collection. 

I have been a foreign film fan for a long time, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to talk about one when given the chance.  I love the pacing and quiet, thoughtful feel to many of the films I have seen.  I know these qualities aren't among those that people always look for in films, but a slower pace does allow you to pay attention to some things we don't always pay attention to.  Watching a foreign film is a great way to learn about another culture or another time in history.  Watching a foreign film might prompt you to learn about another part of the world, just like watching Barbara prompted me to do.  And all of this you can do from the comfort of your own home!

I know that folks don't always enjoy foreign films because they dislike subtitles.  But if you have never given a foreign film a try this might not be a bad first choice!  This film is rated PG-13, so it is not suitable for young children.  While a bit more care could have been taken with the choice of text color for some of the subtitles, those in this film are not lengthy and are not difficult to keep up with.  Make no mistake, this is not a lighthearted film.  I don’t wish to mislead you in that regard.  But this film does give viewers the opportunity to consider the ethics of the situations many people found themselves in during a particular time and place in history. 

The film can be placed on hold and sent to any of the Morgan County branch locations.  To place this video on hold click on the link to the catalog entry for the film:

                  

  Catalog entry for Barbara

If you find you like this film and would like to try some others, there are a number of other foreign films available for check out in the Morgan County Public Library system.  Happy viewing!

Julie