What Makes You Tick? film series set Jan. 17-19
The Rehoboth Beach Film Society will present its popular What Makes Us Tick? series during the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, Friday through Sunday, Jan. 17-19. This analytical film and discussion series explores aspects of the human condition. This year’s theme is “Love and Life.”
Love means freedom from the confines of tradition. It means being loyal to a family member as they struggle with mental illness. It means finding one’s family, even as an adult. It can be a struggle; it is not always perfect; but, as the viewer will see, love enriches (and complicates) every life.
The three films in this year’s series explore the ways that love is woven through the fabric of the lives of several characters in honest, uplifting and entertaining ways. Over the course of a weekend, be moved and challenged in conceptions of love, and, as soon as the credits roll, discuss them with fellow audience members.
Moderators for the after-film discussions for each film are Carolyn Walter and Mona Schwartz.
Walter is a PhD, LCSW, professor emerita, Center for Social Work Education, Widener University, and an adjunct professor at University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Work.
After a career as a high school teacher in New York City, Schwartz spent the next 30 years as a senior business executive. She is a movie buff and participates on two of the mini-festivals’ planning committees.
The series begins Jan. 17 at 7 p.m., with the heartwarming feature “Above the Clouds.” On her 18th birthday, headstrong and artistic Charlie makes a startling discovery. The man married to her mother isn't her dad. Recruiting Oz, a rough sleeper whose only possession is his driving license, she embarks on an epic road trip from Margate to the Isle of Skye to track down her biological father. On the journey they both learn more than they bargained for- - about themselves, each other, the importance of family, and why (sometimes) there really is no place like home.
The series continues Jan. 18 at 1 p.m., with “Love Goes Through Your Mind.” Contrary to her parents' wishes, 17-year-old Nina wants to attend college on the East Coast. But when her gifted older brother is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she fights against his and their parents’ denial that anything is wrong as he spirals out of control. As his condition worsens, Nina reckons with her future as an artist and takes it upon herself to rescue him.
The series closes Jan. 19 at 1 p.m., with “Kattumaram.” Middle-aged fisherman Singaram takes into his home his niece and nephew after their parents are killed by the Tsunami. Singram sets out to find a husband for his niece Anandhi, but she rejects all suitors. She wants the freedom to choose whom she will love for herself and Singaram must come to terms with his niece’s breaking of tradition while dealing with the possibly dangerous fallout within his close-knit village. “Kattumaram” is a tale of transformation and compassion, of the restrictions of tradition and the beauty of accepting and living with all the different possibilities of the world.
What Makes Us Tick? is open to the general public and RBFS members. Admission prices for each screening are $9 for RBFS members and $11 for future members. Customers are encouraged to purchase tickets online. If seats are available, tickets can be purchased at the theater, starting 30 minutes prior to each screening.
For more information on this series, other events, or to become a member, visit www.rehobothfilm.com, or call 302-645-9095.
