Wood and Water (Jonas Bak, 2021)

-

Location: Rubenstein Arts Center, Film Theater

Wood and Water
(Jonas Bak, 2021, 79 min, Germany/France/Hong Kong, in German, English, and Cantonese with English subtitles, Color, DCP)

Jonas Bak’s deeply moving first feature portrays Anke, a recently retired widow living in Germany’s Black Forest region, passing a quiet domestic life of lonely meals and Tai Chi practice via YouTube. She makes a bold decision to visit her youngest son, who lives in Hong Kong and has found too many reasons to postpone his visits home. A brilliant, disorienting transition between the tranquil forests of Germany and the towering skyscrapers of Hong Kong introduces a new tone to the film’s second half. (The film is shot in lush and patient 16mm with music by Brian Eno.) Anke’s son is still nowhere to be found, so she must carefully make her own way through the city, getting by with a little English and making small but restorative connections with strangers. Anke is played by the filmmaker’s own mother, and her performance is astonishingly serene and naturalistic. Her son’s film shares these qualities, opening up ever-wider in its final moments, as Anke’s tentatively reinvigorating journey resumes amidst a Hong Kong on the brink of brutal transformation. (JS)


[PDF flyer] [Share on Facebook] [+ Add to Google Calendar] [+ Export to Calendar (Outlook)]

Screen/Society screenings are free and open to the public. (Masking required - see below.)

Parking Info:  https://artscenter.duke.edu/parking/


COVID-19 INFORMATION:

As we welcome audiences back for in-person screening events, we are prioritizing the health and safety of our extended community. Keeping each other safe during events will require collaboration and we are grateful for your support. Screen/Society and the Rubenstein Arts Center will adhere to all university, local, and state regulations on and off campus, which are subject to change on short notice depending on public health conditions.

Vaccination Status: We strongly encourage audience members to be fully vaccinated before attending an event.  Duke University currently requires all students and employees to be vaccinated. More information on Duke University’s COVID-19 response.

Masking: We require masks for all indoor screenings. Current Duke University guidelines for campus visitors apply to all presentations on campus. Don’t have a mask? We’ll supply one. Please keep your mask on throughout the screening event.

Stay Home If You Are Feeling Sick: If you are feeling or showing symptoms of COVID-19 or if you believe you might have come into contact with someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days, please stay home.

Seating: For our screenings, seating is based on a first-come basis. We encourage everyone to be respectful during performances and maintain distancing as they feel comfortable.

Enhanced Cleaning: Venues on Duke University’s campus are operating under restricted access and receive enhanced cleaning and sanitization of high-touch surfaces. Duke University venue ventilation is in accordance with CDC guidelines.

Hand Hygiene: Hand sanitizer stations are positioned throughout campus venues for your convenience.

Healthy Team: All employees and vendors are required to be symptom free before entering the building, as well as wear masks at all times, and frequently wash their hands during shifts.

Anke Bak silhouetted in front of a window revealing the Hong Kong skyline, in a scene from WOOD AND WATER.

Contact: Hank Okazaki

Email: hokazak@duke.edu

Sponsor: Duke Cinematic Arts