An appreciation of film is all it takes to join this group. The 2024-25 season is our 26th year of celebrating the medium!
Our group meets at 7 pm, on the first Tuesdays of each month from September through May, except December. We view the selected film on our own and then come together to discuss it. Typically, around a dozen people attend. In pre-COVID times, we met in members’ homes, but now we gather on Zoom; please contact info@fpcpaloalto.org for the link.
We talk about character transformation, cinematic values, etc, plus our perspectives on the faith and ethical issues raised by the films. Our discussions are rich with multiple views and observations, as well as lots of laughs and caring, all enriching our relationships. And we close with prayers of the people.
Here is our tentative 2024-25 schedule, chosen through our election process in the spring:
| Sept3 | To Kill a Tiger |
| Oct 1 | Worth |
| Nov 5 | The Holdovers |
| Jan 7 | The Station Agent |
| Feb 4 | American Symphony |
| Mar 4 | American Fiction |
| April 1 | Minari |
| May 6 | Breath of Life |
To Kill a Tiger (2022)
Director: Nisha Pahuja
Availability: Netflix
In a small Indian village, Ranjit wakes up to find that his 13-year-old daughter has not returned from a family wedding. A few hours later, she’s found stumbling home. After being abducted into the woods, she was sexually assaulted by three men. Ranjit goes to the police, and the men are arrested. But Ranjit’s relief is short-lived, as the villagers and their leaders launch a sustained campaign to force the family to drop the charges. A cinematic documentary, To Kill a Tiger follows Ranjit’s uphill battle to find justice for his child. In India, where a rape is reported every 20 minutes and conviction rates are less than 30 percent, Ranjit’s decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of. With tremendous access, we witness the emotional journey of an ordinary man facing extraordinary circumstances, a father whose love for his daughter forces a social reckoning that will reverberate for years to come.
Worth (2021)
Directed by Sara Colangelo
Availability: streaming on Netflix
What is a human life worth?
Based on a true story, this provocative film follows the pro-bono fight led by Ken Feinberg over almost three years to ensure fair compensation for those who lost loved ones on 9/11. It is widower-turned-rabble-rouser Charles Wolf who encourages Feinberg to question the values underlying a fund that would reward stockbrokers with families while penalizing immigrants, service workers and those in gay relationships.