What to watch this weekend at Carthage
Not only does Hedberg Library have a variety of DVDs for checkout, it also has online video resources. Each week, a Carthage student, professor, or staff member will share a list of suggested films. This week’s list is from Cameron Fleming ’17. All films are located in the Hedberg Library collection, available for checkout on DVD, Bluray, or watchable online through one of our online video services.
The weather has been unpredictable these past few weeks, so why not stay inside and watch a movie? Need a recommendation? These three movies that are available through the Hedberg Library online via Kanopy are a good place to start for your viewing pleasures this weekend.
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?
Weichung is an optometrist who has been married to Fen for nine years in what likely was to be a ‘cover’ marriage: Weichung is gay and still ‘looking’. At the point where Fen is asking to have another child (they have one 6-year-old son) the fragile thread becomes stiff. Weichung meets a handsome airline steward and that sort of tips the scales. There is a subplot concerning Weichung’s sister Mandy that never takes off except that her wedding brings on a gay wedding photographer Stephen who surprises Weichung about his lifestyle.
Viva Cuba
In a story like Romeo and Juliet, the friendship between two children is threatened by their parents’ differences. Malu is from an upper-class family and her single mother does not want her to play with Jorgito, as she thinks his background coarse and commonplace. Jorgito’s mother is a poor socialist that is proud of her family’s social standing. She places similar restriction on her son. What neither woman recognizes is the immense strength of the bond between Malu and Jorgito. When the children learn that Malu’s mother is planning to leave Cuba, they decide to travel to the other side of the island to find Malu’s father and persuade him against signing the forms that would allow it.
Teddy Bear
This film tells the story of a respected and famous body builder who lives under the shadow of his judgmental mother. He travels to Thailand and finds a whole different world. Teddy Bear looks cute on the surface, but addresses a lot of underlying psychological and ethical issues in the plot. The mother holds a strong stance against sex tourism, which is understandable, and a viewpoint that must be portrayed in a film like this. While the bodybuilder goes to Thailand, he still holds respect towards women, which is a welcoming subplot. The way he breaks through cultural barriers, and the shackles imposed on him by his family, is also well explored and well presented.