Mystery International Film Night
Welcome to the voting page for the third edition of Manchester Central Library’s International Film Club’s Mystery Screening series.
Event Details: Monday 14 April 2025
• Doors open: 17:00
• Introduction to the film: 17:30
• Film starts: 17:40
• Entry: Pay what you can (recommended donation of £3)
• Popcorn: FREE!
• Drinks: Grab a coffee, tea, or soft drink from the fully stocked café!
At the Film Society, we aim to bring you the very best of global cinema— hoping to shine a light on underseen gems from around the world —enriching our collective film knowledge and experience, while also having a corker of a time. To make it even more exciting, each month you’ll have the chance to vote on 5 fantastic films, and the one with the most votes will be screened with the winner being revealed the day of the event.
For the first two events the crowds voted on films from Hong Kong and Japan, so today we’re moving away from Asia for a little while and focussing on some often-underexplored movie cultures.
This month’s contenders are:
The Milk of Sorrow
Dir. Claudia Llosa, Peru
A moving psychological study through the lens of traditional Latin American magical realism. Based around the Peruvian belief that trauma can be passed from mother to daughter through the breast milk of the mother, the film examines the devastating impact of the atrocities committed during the Peruvian internal conflict on the psyche of the nation. While obviously speaking directly to the Peruvian identity, there is a broader understanding of the hardships of womanhood on a global level.
Ixcanul
Dir. Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala
A beautiful film that gives a voice to Kaqchikel people and stories – the first in history to do so – employing far more conscientious efforts toward authenticity than most representations of indigenous groups in film. Maria, a teenage girl, dreams of leaving her village but is due to be in an arranged marriage with the local foreman – the film explores her various attempts to find purpose and freedom in a culture that is lost somewhere between Mayan and Christian traditions and where life seems just out of the periphery of opportunity.
The Cyclist
Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Iran
A Champion Cyclist, strapped for cash and in need of a way to pay for his wife’s medical bills enters into a ridiculous spectacle challenge of a non-stop seven-day endurance cycle. With the spectacle a commercial scene rises up around the man and a microcosm of capitalist exploitation begins to form. The films simple premise is presented with the high tension of any great melodrama and the elements that build, and build are delirious and frustrating with the film culminating in one of the most brazen endings to a film of all time. Intense, tragic and genuinely edge of the seat.
The Damned Don’t Cry
Dir. Fyzal Boulifa, Morocco
Different societal oppressions conflict with and destroy individuals in this lyrical, Sirkian story of humanity in both beauty and brutishness. The story revolves around Fatima-Zahra and her teenage son Selim, who are constantly on the move to escape the scandals that follow them. When Selim uncovers the truth about their past, Fatima-Zahra decides to start anew in Tangier. However, their quest for legitimacy strains their volatile relationship, pushing them to their limits and the limits of social conventions around them.
Enamorada
Dir. Emilio Fernandez, Mexico
A triumphant classic of Mexican cinema. Enamorada is a romantic melodrama that manages not only to craft a beautiful film filled with passion and yearning but also addresses those same ideas of passion and yearning in the hearts of revolutionaries. Set during the Mexican Revolution, General Reyes, a rebel leader, takes control of the conservative town of Cholula. While there, he encounters Beatriz the strong-willed daughter of the town’s wealthiest man. Despite their initial clashes, a romance develops between the two, challenging their beliefs and transforming their lives. Expertly staged and performed, a perfect example of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema.
