FilmClub will be hosting a screening of Spanish director, Pedro Almodovar’s Volver at the Tatham Art Gallery in Chief Albert Luthuli Street, Pietermaritzburg at 7 pm on Tuesday, February 16.

Says organiser Anton van der Hoven: “Pedro Almodovar was an audience favourite in our first season, so we have decided to include another film by him. This time it is Volver, with the lead role taken by the inimitable Penelope Cruz.”

Moving between Madrid and her hometown village, Raimunda (Penelope Cruz) must negotiate her current life with a problematic husband and a painful past which her family has done its best to deny.

“For many viewers Volver represented a return to form for Almodóvar whose more recent films have experimented with a wide range of genres, from comedy to horror,” says Van der Hoven. “Certainly this film shares much in common with his greatest works such as All About my Mother and Talk to Her.

“Like them, Volver is perhaps best described as a contemporary melodrama that focuses primarily on women, their relationships, and their place in a still largely patriarchal society; and like them the film also concerns itself with the Spanish past, in particular the Franco era and its ongoing influence in the present

“But of course the film is also another example of Almodóvar’s signature style, his complex long-form narratives, his trademark use of colour and the sympathy he lavishes on his leading characters. It is hard to think of another director who can be so warm and yet so telling in his analysis of contemporary ethical issues.”

Entry is R35 per person and The Tatham Coffee shop will be offering a soup and bread supper from 6 pm onwards (at a very reasonable R40 per person). Safe parking is available in the government parking lot next to the gallery.

PLEASE NOTE

Reserving places at FilmClub
Those of you who attended last week’s screening will know that we filled our venue and needed to bring in extra chairs; and a few people were also turned away. At this stage we do not know if this size audience will become a regular feature of our screenings.
While this growing interest in FilmClub is heartening, the present situation is also unsatisfactory, partly because some people arrive a lot later than those who have  also come for supper, partly because there are a few people who would like to come but are unable to arrive early, and partly because we have been told in no uncertain terms that we may not allow more than 50 people in the venue.
We, on the other hand, do not want to introduce a fully-fledged booking system or to discourage “walk-in” visitors. So, in order to ameliorate the situation, we are going to experiment with the following “minimal” system:
1. People who come to supper or arrive early will not need to do anything different, since they are certain to get seats anyway.
2. People who would like to reserve a space before arriving may do so by messaging Anton (SMS or WhatsApp) at 083 233 2663 between 5pm and 6.30pm on the evening they are planning to come.
3. The message should include your name and the number of seats you are wishing to reserve. If you do not receive a reply from me you must assume that your seat has been reserved.
4. I will begin processing these messages at 6pm, which is when we arrive at the gallery. We will then reserve place(s) in the theatre for you; we will, however, not reserve specific seats.
5. We will hold these seats for you until 10 minutes before the screening is due to  begin, at which point we will make them available to walk-ins, should it prove necessary. Those whose circumstances make it impossible for them to meet this cut-off can ask us to keep their seats a little longer.
6. People who hold season tickets will automatically have their places reserved until 10 minutes before the screening is set to begin. After that we will follow the same re-allocation procedure should we have people on standby.