September 28th-October 1st

How do a skinny movie star, a little black dress, Truman Capote, and the future director of THE PINK PANTHER all combine to make an iconic and eternally chic film? Sam Wasson ’03, author of the N.Y. Times best-seller FIFTH AVENUE, 5 A.M, will give the low-down and then let the film speak for itself. Co-sponsored by Friends of the Wesleyan Library.

A suicidal man drives around Tehran, picking up passengers in the hopes that he can pay them to help him out – he has his grave already dug, but he needs someone to make sure he's dead in the morning and toss some dirt over him. It's neither as depressing nor as funny as it sounds, but becomes a humble philosophical journey captured in Kiarostami's expertly simple cinematic style.

Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? Well this one’s about airplanes. A former fighter pilot who is now terrified of flying must board a plane to win the love of his life. When all of the passengers get food poisoning, he has to take matters into his own hands. Surely I can't be serious? I am serious. And don't call me Shirley.

After a Catholic priest hears a confession of murder, he is accused by the police of the very same crime. Now he must decide between his devout oath of secrecy and his future as a free man. Hitchcock crafts a simmering, internalized take on the "innocent man accused" plot; though steeped in postwar psychology, this underrated work remains compelling and fresh.