Director Michael Haneke’s “Happy End” opens Feb. 15 at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center. Also continuing to show are “Oscar Shorts 2018” and “The Shape of Water.”
“Happy End” tells the story of a well-off French family living in a bourgeois bubble in northern France. The family is oblivious to the human misery unfolding in migrant camps around the port town of Calais, a few miles from their home.
The film gives audiences the chance to confront and, uncomfortably consider, the dark side of human nature.
“Happy End,” which is rated R for some sexual material and language, shows through Feb. 22.
“Oscar Shorts 2018” showcases 2018 Academy Award-nominees in animation, live action and documentary short film categories. The Ross presents the films in four categories - Animated, Live Action, Documentary A and Documentary B.
The Live Action films run for 99 minutes with a suggested rating of R. Live action films nominees include “Dekalb Elementary,” “The Silent Child,” “My Nephew Emmett,” “The Eleven O’Clock” and “All of Us (Watu Wote).”
Animation films show for 83 minutes with a rating of PG. Animated short films showing at the Ross include “Dear Basketball,” “Negative Space,” “Lou,” “Revolting Rhymes,” “Garden Party,” “Lost Property Office,” “Weeds” and “Achoo.”
The films in Documentary A play for 102 minutes with a suggested rating of R. Films showing in the Documentary A category include “Traffic Stop,” “Edith+Eddie,” and “Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405.”
The runtime for Documentary B films is 82 minutes with a suggested rating of R. Films showing in the Documentary B category include “Heroin(e)” and “Knife Skills.”
Descriptions and show times for the “Oscar Shorts” films are available on the Ross website. A festival pass to see each of the short film categories is available at the Ross box office.
“The Shape of Water” is an other-worldly fable set in the early 1960s against the backdrop of Cold War-era America.
In the hidden, high-security government laboratory where she works, Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is lonely and trapped in a life of isolation. Her life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover a secret classified experiment.
Other cast members include Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Michael Stuhlbarg and Doug Jones.
“The Shape of Water” is rated R for sexual content, graphic nudity, violence and language.
It was nominated for 13 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.
Both “The Shape of Water” and “Oscar Shorts 2018” show through Feb. 22.
For more information, including show times, visit the Ross online or call 402-472-5353.
