In praise of the SELCS Film Club

The SELCS lockdown film club has been an unexpected and wonderful product of what has been a challenging time.

I’ve found that writing an MA dissertation in lockdown is at times quite a lonely thing to be doing, which is part of the reason why i joined the club (the other reason is that I really, really, really like films).  It’s been an invaluable opportunity to discuss my interests with academics across the department.

Over the weeks, the film club has introduced me to a variety of films I might otherwise never have stumbled across, and each voice in each discussion adds a unique perspective.  During the lockdown, the escapism provided by film and television has taken on greater significance. (This is not always positive – Alamar (2009) contains such vivid and beautiful footage from the Banco Chinchorro coral reef that I, sitting frowning at the rain in London, was consumed with jealousy.  Watch with caution.)

Although Nosferatu (1922) is a film I have known and loved for quite some time, it was nonetheless rejuvenated for me by our discussion which (perhaps unsurprisingly) focused much of its attention on the film’s depiction of plague. This inevitably led to a surprise lesson on the development of society’s understanding of the transmission of contagious diseases.  The fact that the film featured a reasonably terrifying (if misunderstood) vampire almost took a backseat.

The above is one of many examples of the way the film club has produced experiences which couldn’t be replicated elsewhere.  The uncanniest one, by far, was being stared at by a webcam whilst discussing the portrayal of the GDR’s surveillance in Barbara (2012).  More broadly, these discussions have consistently provided intellectually stimulating experiences which are as enlightening as they are entertaining.

It is all these new perspectives, produced both by unusual circumstance and insightful discussion, which make the film club so wonderful.

Thank you Mererid and Christine for setting this up!