Money Exchange (Cambio, cambio)
Trailer: https://pragda.com/film/money-exchange/
“An extended sequence of newsreel footage about Argentina’s spiraling inflation since 2019 sets the stage for Pablo, who works in Buenos Aires’ economic and tourist epicenter, trying to survive in a precarious and exhausting working world.
When he falls in love with Florencia, an architecture student who shows him the city in a different way, he gets involved in the illegal exchange business selling dollars on the black market to improve his standard of living. As an impending currency crisis looms, Pablo seizes the opportunity to strike a blow using the volatility of the dollar value to his advantage. Despite the risks of getting caught by his money-laundering boss, he comes up with an elaborate scheme that could earn them enough money to change his life.
Ultimately, director Lautaro García Candela suggests a utopic world where workers start to investigate (and understand) their context and can act upon it, becoming masters of their own destiny.”
Join Dr. Andrew Kettler for a talk on the history of Argentina’s economic crisis and the film on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 12:30pm in the Community Room and online
Without Prescription (Receta no incluida)
Trailer: https://pragda.com/film/without-prescription/
“Olivia is getting ready for her family’s Christmas Eve party. But her obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) voice in her head, which has been under control for some time, suddenly returns, prompting a desperate search for the pills that have helped her in the past.
The lack of health insurance forces Olivia to reach out to her friend Jessica – whom she met years ago in a mental institution. Jessica introduces her to David, the town’s pharmacist’s son, who agrees to sell her the pills.
Trapped inside David’s apartment by a rainstorm, the two strangers start uncovering truths about each other and begin a healing process that doesn’t necessarily involve pills.”
Join Dr. Katie Klik for a talk on mental health and the film on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 12:30 in the Community Room and online.
https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_MTU0NmYyODctYjBiNC00ZWUxLWI1MDktZDEzNDIwY2RhYjIz%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%224b2a4b19-d135-420e-8bb2-b1cd238998cc%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22a18126b0-9397-4d3e-9583-6fa3453ab71b%22%7d
Home is Somewhere Else (Mi casa está en otra parte)
Trailer: https://pragda.com/film/home-is-somewhere-else/
“An estimated 11 million undocumented migrants are living in the United States under the constant threat of sudden deportation. What is it like to grow up in such a situation?
Home Is Somewhere Else shares the rich complexity of the emotional experiences of immigrant children and families to better understand and empathize with them. It invites discussion about the need for a new US migratory model based on respect for human rights for all.
In this documentary animation, three young immigrants tell their stories. Eleven-year-old Jasmine fears being separated from her undocumented parents and sets off to become an activist to protect families like her own. Sisters Evelyn and Elizabeth. Evelyn was born in the USA but has chosen to return to Mexico, while her sister Elizabeth, an illegal immigrant in Los Angeles, is struggling to realize her ambitions. Finally, Lalo shares the story of his childhood, deportation experience, finding a way back, and transforming his challenges through his work as an artist and activist.
Voiced by the actual children and their families, the stories are woven together by spoken word poet José Eduardo Aguilar. Their painful experiences and vibrant hopes and dreams lend themselves well to animation. A powerful reminder of how the color of your passport determines your life.”
Join Dr. Emily Schafer for a talk on issues of childhood trauma and the film on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 12:30 in the Community Room and online.
https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_MGJjMDhlYTEtNDBjZC00NTg2LWJiNzItNzQ2OGM3ODg5ZTk3%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%224b2a4b19-d135-420e-8bb2-b1cd238998cc%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22a18126b0-9397-4d3e-9583-6fa3453ab71b%22%7d
The City of the Future (A cidade do future)
Trailer: https://pragda.com/film/the-city-of-the-future/
“In Serra do Ramalho, Brazil, young teacher Milla finds herself pregnant by her colleague Gilmar. Gilmar is in a relationship with Igor, but Milla asserts that the baby will belong to all three of them. Despite some initial conflict between the three, and in defiance of their community’s reaction, they form an unconventional but remarkably uncomplicated family. Billed as the ‘city of the future,’ Serra do Ramalho was constructed in the 1970s in order to rehouse thousands of citizens that had been forcefully relocated. The setting becomes an important backdrop for this elegant, gentle film which is full of hope for a new generation building their own family of the future.”
Join Dr. Tekla Johnson for a talk on her research on housing displacement while leading a discussion on the film Cidade do future on Tuesday, Oct. 29th at noon in the Community Room and Online.
The Bat Woman (La mujer murciélago)
Trailer: https://pragda.com/film/the-bat-woman/
“A whacked-out scientist is capturing wrestlers (because they are “perfect”) and using their spinal fluid to create a Gill Man. Two cops call in Batwoman to investigate. She steals aboard the baddie’s boat and uncovers his mad plan, but she is discovered and during a scuffle, our hero tosses acid in the scientist’s face. This doesn’t sit too well with him and he seeks revenge. His plan: to capture her and turn her into a Gill Woman!
The Bat Woman is a fascinating and little-known entry in the Batman superhero canon. Taking advantage of Batman’s increased popularity, director René Cardona, known later for his luchador adventures, aimed to showcase the talents of actress Maura Monti by splicing elements of “Batmania” with Mexico’s popular lucha libre style. Dressed in a cape, cowl, boots, and bikini, Maura takes on the lead role of Batwoman, called upon to investigate an evil, whacked-out scientist who is capturing wrestlers for diabolical experiments. – Museum of the Moving Image
This film is part of The Permanencia Voluntaria Archives, whose main objective is to rescue, preserve, and restore the popular cinema of Mexico’s cinematographic history.”
