Hey friends, check out this awesome class taught by a friend of ours who know her stuff!
TABOO: SACRED AND PROHIBITED SEX ON FILM
Mondays, October 5-November 9, 7-10 pm at Facets (Go to: http://www.facets.org/pages/filmschool.php
it lists the registration info on the side of the bar. $80 for members of Facets, $125 for non-members)
**Please note that due to the length of Eyes Wide Shut, the first class (October 5th
will begin at 6:30 pm.)**
The word “taboo†can mean “sacred†and “holy†as well as “forbidden†and “under prohibition.†In this course, we’ll examine how dramatic and documentary films explore the sexual taboo. In particular, we will consider how these films frame the sacred and ritualistic elements of forbidden sexual activity alongside the potential dangers and pleasures of transgressing social and sexual norms. In his final film, Eyes Wide Shut, Stanley Kubrick explores stereotypes of gendered sexual fantasy and the tensions between the psychological and the embodied taboo. In The Piano Teacher, Michael Haneke captures a new kind of sadomasochistic ritual, one enacted by Erika (Isabelle Huppert) who demonstrates a radical form of masochistic passivity that invites the viewer to think of sex as a site of failure and unbecoming conduct. In Fire, the first of Deepta Mehta’s “Elements†trilogy, Hinduism and traditional family structures collide with the portrayal of two Indian women, the provocatively named Sita and Radha, and their physical, emotional, and spiritual love for one another. In the documentary Jihad of Love, Parvez Sharma captures the difficult negotiations of queer Muslims in multiple countries. In an effort to reappropriate the term from its misuse in the West, the title of the film refers to the Islamic concept of jihad, or a religious struggle, she applies it to the personal struggle of reconciling homosexuality and Islam. In Andrew Jarecki’s documentary Capturing the Friedmans, we will shift our to the volatility of dealing with potential cases of child sexual abuse and pedophilia. And finally Robinson Devor’s documentary Zoo, is about a man who died of peritonitis after engaging in sexual activity with a horse. Defying expectations, Zoo is neither graphic nor exploitative, but rather a thoughtful and meditative exploration of ritualistic sexual activity.
Jennifer Tyburczy is a teacher, a writer, and a performer. Recently she completed her Ph.D. at Northwestern University in the Department of Performance Studies with an expertise in gender and sexuality studies. Her articles on sexuality, visual culture, and the exhibition of sexual artifacts in museums have appeared in numerous journals, encyclopedias, and newsletters. She has performed at academic conferences, in modern art museums, and on the burlesque and vaudeville stage for the local Chicago troupe, the Girlie Q Variety Hour. Currently, she is performing in the film Porcelain’s Dolls and teaching a course on women’s art, literature, and music at Columbia College.
FILMS SCREENED AND DISCUSSED:
Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999)
The Piano Teacher (Michael Haneke, 2001)
Fire (Deepta Mehta, 1996)
Jihad of Love (Parvez Sharma, 2007)
Capturing the Friedmans (Andrew Jarecki, 2003)
Zoo (Robinson Devor, 2007)
