Last Updated on May 24, 2022, 7:39 PM | Published: May 24, 2022
OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) – Every different nation, every community, and every culture has its own way of telling stories. Everything from sweeping, structural specificities to the smallest nuances of language and sensibility are bound to be rooted firmly within a society’s storytelling styles, and arguably never more so than in its filmmaking.
With the ability to show off the visible landscape and environments, the music, and of course the language of a location or culture, films give us the chance to understand the bigger picture surrounding the drama or comedy that a story offers.
Few theaters in OKC put as much emphasis on worldwide film as the Noble Theater at Oklahoma City Museum of Art.
With their slate of upcoming movies laid out through June, audiences can enjoy a look into not just the unique cultural traits of European, American, and Asian cinema, but the wholly different cinematic worlds created when those cultures and perspectives combine.
Everything Everywhere All At Once – Now through May 29th
By now, you’ve surely heard of this most unexpected of blockbusters, with the psychedelic, multiversal action/adventure romp racking up lavish critical praise and box office success alike.
At the film’s heart, however, it is still an examination of the Asian-American immigrant experience, and the infinite beauty in the inner lives of this country’s marginalized and ignored peoples.
Credited simply as “Daniels,” the writing and directing team of Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert represent, unsurprisingly, a marriage of both Chinese and American sensibilities, not only in storytelling, but in the rich, unprecedented visual imagery throughout.
The Tale of King Crab – May 27th & May 28th
A strange, almost surreal redemption arc presented in gritty realism and harsh light, “The Tale of King Crab” offers a look at a man’s all-consuming passion for treasure in 19th century Italy, his punishment and exile in the “new world” of Argentina, and the modern day remembrances that recall his cautionary tale.
Again, the filmmakers here (again, a writing/directing duo) comprise a multinational perspective, as creative minds Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis both identify as Italian-American, with de Righi even having been born in Jackson, Mississippi.
“King Crab” is actually their first scripted, fictionalized film, having created an impressive catalog of documentaries, and it allows them to explore the histories and complexities of both their cultural home and the colonial ghosts in its past.
The Tsugua Diaries – June 4th
From Portugal, comes this creative look at the lockdown lives of three housemates during the early days of COVID and the various ways by which they attempt to occupy their time. Also, there’s a visible film crew documenting them and trying not to intervene while observing pandemic-era protocol.
Yet again a product of collaboration between two filmmakers, this “playful” take on the slow insanity of lockdown comes from Portuguese writer/director Miguel Gomes and French writer/director Maureen Fazendeiro.
The lines between reality and fiction quickly become blurred (a feeling to which we could likely all relate back in 2020) as the actors play versions of themselves and the film plays out as if watching a documentary being made. However, the passage of time may not actually be moving the way you think, forcing us to reconsider how memory works and how perception is skewed by isolation.
Il Buco – June 18th & June 19th
Returning to Itlay, where writer/director Michelangelo Frammartino offers “Il Buco,” or “The Hole,” a meditative journey in two separate-but-connected senses.
Based the true story of the young group of cave divers and explorers that arrived in Calabria, Italy in the 1960s to explore some of the deepest and most mysterious caves in the country. At the same time, an elderly shepherd nearby begins his own, much more internal exploration of a deep and undiscovered world.
Frammartino presents the story with minimal dialogue, instead focusing on the unbelievable cinematography that takes viewers into these fascinating depths, by turns claustrophobic and vast, and the psychological parallels to the internal journeys of our own lives. “Il Buco” stands as a perfect example of the quiet, environmental filmmaking and storytelling of “old world” Europe.
For showtimes, tickets, information, and to see trailers for each of these films and more, visit okcmoa.com.
Brett Fieldcamp has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly 15 years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
