Filmmakers love the theme of memory, and Herman B Wells Library loves film. As you prepare to take time away for Thanksgiving break, take a detour to the library, and check out one of the many feature films exploring “Remembering and Forgetting.”
The Herman B Wells Library Media Browsing Collection includes nearly 11,000 DVDs available to students and faculty. Students can borrow up to three items at a time for seven days; these can be renewed online via IUCAT. DVDs can be checked out at the Media Services desk on the ground floor of the Wells Library in Room 044/046, across from the Bookmark[et] eatery.
This week we’re sharing a list of films available to check out on campus. Be on the look-out for a list of films available to stream from home coming next week.
Before I Go to Sleep (2014, directed by Rowan Joffé)
A woman (Nicole Kidman) wakes up every morning with no memory of her past. As she begins to piece together broken memories, she is confronted with questions about the truth of her reality and the reliability of those around her.
The Bourne Identity (2002, directed by Doug Liman)
A well-known film about memory, or lack thereof, The Bourne Identity franchise follows assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) who has no memory of who he is.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004, Michel Gondry)
Did you miss Themester’s screening at IU Cinema? Heartbreak leads a couple, played by Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey, to erase all memories of each other. Gondry’s direction and Charlie Kaufman’s acclaimed screenplay produced a film that is both intellectually complicated and deeply romantic.
Memento (2000, directed by Christopher Nolan)
Told in part through flashbacks, this film follows a man with anterograde amnesia, the inability to store new memories, as he attempts to track down the man who murdered his wife. He obsesses over the one thing he remembers of the attack: the name “John G.”
My Winnipeg (2007, directed by Guy Maddin)
Writer and director Guy Maddin described this film about his hometown of Winnipeg, Canada as “docu-fantasia,” a blend of documentary and surrealism, memory and fiction.
Rashōmon (1950, directed by Akira Kurosawa)
A riveting psychological thriller that investigates the subjectivity of memory, nature of truth, and the meaning of justice, Rashōmon is widely considered one of the greatest films ever made. Four people give different accounts of a man’s murder and the rape of his wife, which director Kurosawa presents with striking imagery and an ingenious use of flashbacks.
You can also see this classic film on the big screen at IU Cinema, December 6.
Total Recall (1990, directed by Paul Verhoeven)
After construction worker Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) visits “Rekall,” a company that provides false memory implants, his life quickly descends into chaos. This science-fiction film, set in the year 2084, follows Quaid as he finds himself unable to determine whether his memories or experiences are real.
Trance (2013, directed by Danny Boyle)
An art auctioneer hides a valuable painting and later receives a blow to the head from men attempting to steal it. No longer able to remember where he hid it, he hires a hypnotherapist to try to recover his memories.
The Vow (2012, directed by Michael Sucsy)
In this romantic drama, a woman (Rachel McAdams) loses years of memories in a car accident— including those of her husband, Leo (Channing Tatum). The story follows her struggle to regain her lost memories and Leo’s attempt to rebuild their lost relationship.
50 First Dates (2004, directed by Peter Segal)
This romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore offers a more light-hearted exploration of memory, as Sandler’s character pursues a romantic relationship with Barrymore’s, who is unable to form new memories.