After Life by Hirokazu Koreeda + Borges
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FEBRUARY: After Life by Hirokazu Koreeda + Borges
Next time we'll discuss After Life (1998), a great film by Koreeda that confronts us with a simple yet profound question: If you had to choose one memory to carry with you into eternity, what would it be…? We'll follow a group of endearing characters as they help the recently deceased select a precious moment of their past to take with them to the beyond, in a limbo that feels as bureaucratic and mundane as it is alive.
We'll enrich our conversation about the film with the discussion of some of Borges's non-fiction works, less well-known than his short stories, but equally thought-provoking. For him, eternity had a history and it was one of humanity's most beautiful inventions. We'll compare the Platonic conception of eternity with the Christian one, and reflect on other types of eternity, such as the eternal return and the ones depicted in Koreeda's film (very Borgesian in spirit).
What drives us to invent visions of eternity? Does the universe have a memory? Are our lives less meaningful if they pass without leaving a trace? Are there impersonal forms of immortality? What role do film and video play in preserving human memory?
We hope you can join us!
Film.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ytPwY9FLvNlOsRwcG0eS2QLD5rKCU6n5?usp=sharing
We’ll discuss two works by Borges from the Selected Non-Fictions:
A History of Eternity (1936)
Immortality (1978)
https://s3.amazonaws.com/arena-attachments/911407/e11bf56a7763d0a3f72d457ea00e779b.pdf
And these two short pieces from El hacedor:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GilIDXIzprzGCB0UCo61tEYf-e1m_8AO/view?usp=sharing
HOW? Everyone is welcome to the discussion. The only requisite to participate is having watched the film beforehand, because discussions are on topic. You can find the link to the film in our Discord group. Bring your thoughts, questions, and your favorite scenes!
WHERE? In DISCORD: Our online meeting will take place in Discord, so please make sure to join our Discord group beforehand!
Here is the invitation to our group: https://discord.gg/DEcXZDgXZj
If you have any doubts or you are not familiar with this platform, please send me a message and I’ll help you.