Cleveland Film Festival

Over spring break, I went to go see a film that was showing at the Cleveland Film Festival. I ended up going to see Black Sea, directed by Federico Bondi, which is a foreign film set in both Italy and Romania. I chose this film based off of a synopsis in the Cleveland Film Festival catalogue. I thought it would be interesting because (1) it wasn't a documentary, and (2) it was in a different language and wasn't set in the United States. Apart from the high price to see the show, I was pleased with the film and liked how it portrayed Italian and Romanian women.

In the film, Gemma, a grouchy Italian woman who recently lost her husband, hires Angela, a Romanian woman who left her husband behind in order to make more money in Italy. These foiled characters develop a close bond and end up travelling to Romania where Angela intends to save her failing marriage. Overall, I think the film did a great job portraying the family values of both Italian and Romanian women, and the close bond that can form between two women sharing the same experience. It also effectively showed the general tension between the Romanian and Italian people before Romania entered the European Union.

I think parts of this film would be effective to teach in an English class. I could show certain clips while teaching The Awakening by Kate Chopin. Both the movie and the novel address women's rights issues, and the idea that familial obligations prevent women from living free and successful lives. After watching the clip, students could compare and contrast Edna Pontellier and Angela, and discuss the similarities and differences of the 19th century character and the 21st character.