Two films examining the tenacity of the human spirit — though in vastly different ways — open at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center.
The black comedy "Sorry, Baby" and a documentary following Robert Reich's last lecture, "The Last Class," both open Aug. 8.
Ending their runs Aug. 7 are "Folktalkes" and "Mr. Blake at Your Service."
From writer-director Eva Victor, "Sorry, Baby" is the warm and bitingly funny story of a woman moving forward with her life after a traumatic event. Something bad happened to Agnes. But life goes on … for everyone around her, at least. When a beloved friend visits on the brink of a major milestone, Agnes starts to realize just how stuck she’s been.
"Sorry, Baby," rated R, is showing through Aug. 21
"The Last Class" is a nuanced and deeply personal portrait of master educator Robert Reich teaching his final course and reflecting on a period of immense transformation, personally and globally. It is a love letter to education. The former secretary of labor might be famous for his public service, best-selling books and viral social media posts, but he always considered teaching his true calling. Now, after more than 40 years and an extraordinary 40,000 students, Reich is preparing for his last class.
Over the course of the film, Reich confronts the impending finality, and his own aging, with increasing candor, introspection and, ultimately, emotion. He displays a rawness of feeling he has never shared publicly before. Drawing on his lifetime in politics, he uses his class “Wealth and Poverty” to offer us all a deeper look at why inequalities of income and wealth have widened significantly since the late 1970s and why this poses dangerous risks to our society.
One-thousand students fill the biggest lecture hall on the UC Berkeley campus, the last class to receive Reich’s wisdom and exhortations not to accept that the world has to stay the way it is. His belief in the next generation’s ability to take on the fight is inspiring.
"The Last Class," which is not rated, is showing through Aug. 14.
For more information on films, including showtimes and ticket availability, visit the Ross' website.
