A terrible evening in somewhat cold (not cold enough?) December.We present the stark, gloomy, spacious, kid-friendly,
The Three Rooms of Melancholia
in Unnameable Books awfully cluttered and low-ceilinged basement, at six o'clock on a Sunday.
Gin and no other refreshments will be served. Warm gin.
And snacks, but...
There will probably be chairs provided.
Please come. No, don't bother.
The Three Rooms of Melancholia reveals how the Chechen War has psychologically affected children in Russia and in Chechnya. Divided into three episodes or 'rooms,' the film is characterized by an elegantly paced, observational style, which uses little dialog, minimal voice-over commentary and a spare but evocative musical score.
Room No. 1, "Longing," set in a military academy in Kronstadt, near St. Petersburg, portrays the highly regimented lives of the young cadets, most of them from broken or dysfunctional families, who are being trained for future roles in the Russian army. While showing their military drills, classroom sessions, church ceremonies, and recess period, the film briefly profiles several of the boys, whose stories reflect the political turmoil of contemporary Russia.
Room No. 2, "Breathing," filmed in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, the former Soviet republic fighting for its independence, shows the widespread destruction wrought by the Russian shelling and bombardment, a city where families struggle to survive in barely habitable buildings, packs of stray dogs roam the streets, Russian military vehicles clog the roads, soldiers monitor roadblocks, and a courageous woman attempts to rescue orphaned or semi-orphaned children from the violence.
Room No. 3, "Remembering," filmed in the neighboring Islamic republic of Ingushetia, focuses on children in refugee camps and in a makeshift orphanage, including a young boy found living in a cardboard box, a 19-year-old girl traumatized by her rape at the age of 12 by Russian soldiers, and a roomful of children transfixed by televised images of the deadly aftermath of the crisis in which a Moscow theater audience was held hostage by Chechen terrorists.
"I passed out, from boredom and sadness." —Stephen Holden, The New York Times.
Unnameable Books is at 600 Venderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
The event is in the basement, next to the broiler.
Sunday, December 13 at 6pm
