Alma
Posted by | Conversations at the Edge | Posted on | October 2, 2003
Thursday, October 2, 2003, 8:15pm
Ruth Leitman in person!
“Everyone I’m related to is some weird, comical pervert,” observes Margie Thorpe of Atlanta, and the rest of this edgy, intimate documentary bears her out, sometimes hilariously, sometimes with horror. Take mother Alma for instance – a working class Norma Desmond who spins tall tales out of tragic memories, but whose obsessive devotion to her daughter masks a bitter secret. Charismatic nightclub performer Margie is something of a Southern diva, but she moves from persona to person after purging this story, as Alma glides from character study to an unnerving tale of mental illness, redemption and forgiveness. As Margie questions her mother about the true details of the past and enlists filmmaker Leitman in the process of uncovering, the film pushes the boundaries of the filmmaker/subject relationship. Also screening: excerpts from Leitman’s work-in-progress, Lipstick and Dynamite, about the pioneers of girl wrestling (Jim Trainor). 1998, Ruth Leitman, USA, 91 min, 16mm.
About
Conversations at the Edge is a weekly series of screenings, performances, and talks by groundbreaking media artists.
CATE is organized by SAIC's Department of Film, Video, New Media, and Animation in collaboration with the Gene Siskel Film Center and SAIC's Video Data Bank.
Programs take place at the Gene Siskel Film Center (164 N. State / Chicago, IL / 312.846.2600), unless otherwise noted.
