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MSU Cinema International presents "Long Day's Journey Into Night" This Week

MSU Cinema International presents "Long Day's Journey Into Night" on Thursday, October 27th, and Saturday, October 29th.
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MSU Cinema International presents "Long Day's Journey Into Night" on Thursday, October 27th, and Saturday, October 29th.

This week, Murray State's Cinema International presents the 2019 Chinese film Long Day's Journey Into Night. Austin Carter speaks with program director Dr. Thérèse St. Paul ahead of the screenings.

From the MSU Cinema International website:

"This noir-tinged stunner (whose title only echoes Sidney Lumet's 1962 adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's play) focuses on a man's search for a missing woman from his past. Following leads across Guizhou province, he crosses paths with a series of colorful characters, among them a prickly hairdresser played by Taiwanese superstar Sylvia Chang.

When the search leads him to a dingy movie theater, the film launches into an hourlong, gravity-defying 3D sequence shot that plunges its protagonist—and us—into a labyrinthine cityscape. China's biggest arthouse hit of all time."

St. Paul explains that director Bi Gang is part of a "new generation of Chinese filmmakers that are making strides in a style motivated by social questions, the political age, and the possibilities of technology. This kind of movie really takes you between reality and dream, imagination. He plays with music, poetry, themes of life, death, ghosts of the past."

"That brings him in line with magical realism," St. Paul continues. "This genre creates a dream-like, mysterious ambiance, setting scenes in low light. The film takes place in the evening, the rain, cloudy atmosphere, derelict buildings, mines, going down in the earth. All of this is present in Long Day's Journey Into Night. He plays with the opposition of darkness and light, particularly water, darkness, and darkness contrasted with colored lights in the cityscapes. It's really effective."

MSU Cinema International presents Long Day's Journey Into Night on Thursday, October 27th, in the Barkley Room and Saturday, October 29th, in the Curris Center Theatre. Both screenings begin at 7:30 pm and are on the third floor of the Curris Center. Screenings are free and open to the public.

For more information on the Cinema International program, including upcoming screenings and how to donate, visit its website.

Austin Carter is a Murray State grad and has been involved with WKMS since he was in high school. Over the years he has been a producer for WKMS and has hosted several music shows, but now calls Morning Edition his home each weekday morning.
Melanie Davis-McAfee graduated from Murray State University in 2018 with a BA in Music Business. She has been working for WKMS as a Music and Operations Assistant since 2017. Melanie hosts the late-night alternative show Alien Lanes, Fridays at 11 pm with co-host Tim Peyton. She also produces Rick Nance's Kitchen Sink and Datebook and writes Sounds Good stories for the web.
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