The Oklahoma City University Film Institute series will complete its season at 2 p.m. March 5 with Ciro Guerra’s “Embrace of the Serpent.”
The film will be screened free to the public in the Kerr McGee Auditorium of Meinders School of Business at N.W. 27th Street and McKinley Avenue.
The series is supported in part by the Thatcher Hoffman Smith Endowment Fund and endowments through Oklahoma City University and the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.
As rich visually as it is thematically, “Embrace of the Serpent” offers a feast of the senses for film fans seeking a dose of bracing originality. The story centers on the relationship of an Amazonian shaman and last survivor of his people, and two scientists who work together over the course of 40 years to search the Amazon region of Colombia for a sacred healing plant. The historical drama, shot mainly in black and white, offers a visual exploration of man, nature and the meeting of penetrating minds with differing world views. The film was inspired by the real journals of two 20th century explorers.
The theme of this year’s season is based on Atul Gawande’s recent book “Being Mortal.” Harbour Winn, curator of the series, said the films were selected to show “how we, as individuals and a culture, confront, avoid and deal with finitude.” Topics covered include how societies deal with people who are aging, the importance of life and how it is lived with need for a healthy and ethical awareness in knowing we all ultimately die.
A discussion session follows each film screening for those who wish to participate. For more information about the series, call 405-208-5707 or visit okcufilmlit.org.
