IU Themester Streaming and DVD Resources

From neurons to social relationships, tweets to trade agreements, literary structures to food webs, the idea of “connections” has become central to how we understand our world. We link to one another, to the virtual world, and to various environments through networks that exist at all levels of human activity. “Six degrees of separation,” “networking” and “social capital” have become part of our language and our daily lives. By mapping the connections among multiple types and levels of “actors”, we have begun to understand the neural and protein networks that sustain life, the social bonds that support or dismantle solidarity in communities, and the political ties on which governments rise and fall. Networks are more than neutral, random or sterile connecting structures. They can facilitate or deny access to a wide array of resources, and provide real intervention points for social, institutional and global change.

Themester 2013 focuses squarely on the role of connectedness as a force in society and in our lives as unique individuals, partners, citizens and members of a global community. Whether particles, people or policies, human experience is embedded in dynamic streams of networks that shape our very existence.” - Adapted from IU Themester Homepage

The following resources require IUB CAS Authentication.

The Shape of Water (2017, 123 min.)

Eliza and the Creature. Digital Image. Empire. https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/shape-water-review/ 

An other-wordly fairy tale, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1963. In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa (Hawkins) is trapped in a life of silence and isolation. Her life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda (Spencer) discover a secret classified experiment.

Moonlight (2016, 111 min.) - licensing soon via Kanopy

Jenkins and Chiron at the Beach. Digital Image. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/10/moonlight-barry-jenkins-review/505409/ 

MOONLIGHT is a moving and transcendent look at three defining chapters in the life of Chiron, a young man growing up in Miami. His epic journey to adulthood, as a shy outsider dealing with difficult circumstances, is guided by support, empathy and love from the most unexpected places.

In Between (2016, 103 min.)

In Between Film Poster. Digital Image. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5974388/ 

Three Palestinian women living in an apartment in Tel Aviv try to find a balance between traditional and modern culture.

Paris Is Burning (1990, 78 min.)

Still From Paris is Burning. Digital Image. Dazed Digital. https://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/32530/1/looking-at-paris-is-burning-25-years-after-its-release 

Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City’s African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, PARIS IS BURNING offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion “houses, ” from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women—including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza—PARIS IS BURNING brings it, celebrating the joy of movement, the force of eloquence, and the draw of community.

Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Young Adolescent Girls (1998, 44 min.)

Reviving Ophelia Cover Image. Digital Image. Good Reads. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/159760.Reviving_Ophelia 

Based on Mary Pipher's bestselling book, this illustrated interview examines the challenges faced by teenage girls, and the role media and popular culture play in shaping their identities. Reviving Ophelia inspires families, teachers, schools, and civic groups to empower girls to free themselves from the toxic influences of today's media-saturated culture.

Anthropocene (2019, 87 min.)

Still From Anthropocene. Digital Image. Upstate Films. https://www.upstatefilms.org/anthropocene 

A working group of international scientists is deciding whether to declare a new geological epoch--the Anthropocene--a planet shaped more by mankind than nature. Its members tell the story of the Anthropocene and argue whether it's a tragedy, a comedy, or something more surreal. With archival footage, award-winning stills and interviews, Anthropocene proposes a common secular narrative for mankind but leaves viewers to decide how we should write the ending. The film has the blessing of Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen, who coined the term, and is the first feature film about the Anthropocene. It is now our turn to decide--in this decade--how the Anthropocene will end.

What A Girl Wants (2001, 33 min.)

What A Girl Wants Cover Image. Digital Image. Media Ed. https://shop.mediaed.org/what-a-girl-wants-p168.aspx 

In girls' own voices, What a girl wants presents a glimpse into the powerful - and often destructive - influence commercial culture has on the formation of young girls' identities. A diverse group of eleven girls speaks honestly and openly about the sexual and body-image pressures they encounter as they come of age in a culture that idolized Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, and other pop stars.

Sami Blood (2016, 109 min.)

First Image: Sami Girl Getting Her Features Measured. Digital Image. NY Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/movies/sami-blood-review.html ; Second Image: Sami Blood Poster. Digital Image. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5287168/mediaindex 

This acclaimed film follows 14-year-old Sami girl Elle Marja ("Powerful newcomer Lene Cecilia Sparrok." - New York Times), who, along with her sister, is torn from her indigenous reindeer-herding family and placed in a government-run boarding school in 1930s Sweden. There Elle dreams of education and a future, but these dreams are hindered when she is met with racial expectations that class her people as inferior. What follows is a girl's attempt to escape one world of prejudice and another of old traditions, only to realize the true cost of freedom.

Playtime (1967, 125 min.)

First Image: Playtime Poster. Digital Image. Criterion. https://www.criterion.com/films/651-playtime ; Second Image: Mr. Hulot Exploring an Office Building. Digital Image. Roger Ebert. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-playtime-1967 

Jacques Tati's gloriously choreographed, nearly wordless comedies about confusion in an age of high technology reached their apotheosis with PlayTime. For this monumental achievement, a nearly three-year-long, bank-breaking production, Tati again thrust the lovably old-fashioned Monsieur Hulot, along with a host of other lost souls, into a baffling modern world, this time Paris. With every inch of its superwide frame crammed with hilarity and inventiveness, PlayTime is a lasting record of a modern era tiptoeing on the edge of oblivion.

Helvetica (2007, 81 min.)

Helvetica Poster. Digital Image. Kanopy. https://www.kanopy.com/product/helvetica-2 

An independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. HELVETICA looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which celebrated its 50th birthday in 2007) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. An exploration of urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them, this film offers a fluid discussion with renowned designers about their work, the creative process, and the choices and aesthetics behind their use of type.

Explore more awesome documentaries and feature films via IUCAT as well as via IUB's licensed subscriptions to Films for Education, Kanopy and SWANK at Media Services Libguide to Streaming Databases.

Be sure to check with Media Services for hours.  VHS titles are housed off-site at ALF, and can be requested via IUCAT.  

Metropolis (1927, 124 min.)

First Image: Screencap from Metropolis with Subtitle Cards. Digital Image. Unaffiliated Critic. https://unaffiliatedcritic.com/2013/02/metropolis-1927-independent-study-in-world-cinema/ ; Second Image: Metropolis Film Poster. Digital Image. Reel Rundown. https://reelrundown.com/movies/Metropolis-Film-Review 

The story of a 21st century city run by a "super trustee" and his collaborators who live in a paradise-like garden. Workers are totally enslaved by machines and condemned to live underground. In the midst of this misery, a young woman, Maria, arises and attempts to inspire the workers to throw off their oppressors.

Princess Cyd (2017, 96 min.)

First Image: Cyd On Her Way to A Party at Her Aunt’s. Digital Image. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6053440/ ; Second Image: Cyd and Her Aunt Sunbathing. Digital Image. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6053440/ 

Eager to escape life with her depressive single father, 16-year-old athlete Cyd Loughlin visits her novelist aunt in Chicago over the summer. While there, she falls for Katie, a girl in the neighborhood, even as she and her aunt gently challenge each other in the realms of sex and spirit.

Amélie (2002, 122 min.)

IUCAT Title: Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain

First Image: Still of Amélie. Digital Image. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/ ; Second Image: Amélie Poster. Digital Image. MiraMax. https://www.miramax.com/movie/amelie/ 

Amélie is a young woman who had a decidedly unusual childhood; misdiagnosed with an unusual heart condition, Amélie didn't attend school with other children, but spent most of her time in her room, where she developed a keen imagination and an active fantasy life. Despite all this, Amélie has grown into a healthy and beautiful young woman who works in a Paris cafe and has a whimsical, romantic nature. She decides to step into the lives of others around her to help them out.

Coco (2018, 105 min.)

Miguel and His Family. Digital Image. Perks of Being Nath. http://perksofbeingnath.blogspot.com/2018/01/coco-2018-review.html 

Despite his family's baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector, and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history.

Conceiving Ada (1997, 85 min.)

First Image: Still from Conceiving Ada. Digital Image. FilmMaker Magazine. https://filmmakermagazine.com/109345-conceiving-the-future-the-prescient-lynn-hershman-leeson/ ; Second Image: Conceiving Ada Film Poster. Digital Image. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conceiving_Ada 

A dramatized biography of Lady Ada Lovelace, daughter of Romantic poet Lord Byron and mathematics genius who developed what became the world's first computer language 100 years before computers. Ada's story is told through Emmy, a contemporary computer scientist who is researching artificial life. By using her own genetic code, Emmy is able to collapse time and link her world directly to Ada's. Realizing how parallel their lives are, she embarks on the task of "saving" Ada as the lines between the past and present, virtual reality and reality blur in the process.

Us (2019, 120 min.)

First Image: Us Film Poster. Digital Image. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNCmb-4oXJA ; Second Image: The Tethered Family. Digital Image. MXDWN. https://movies.mxdwn.com/feature/we-are-americans-a-thematic-breakdown-of-us/ 

Haunted by trauma from her past and compounded by a string of eerie coincidences, Adelaide grows increasingly certain that something bad is going to befall her family. After spending a tense beach day with their friends, Adelaide and her family return to their vacation home. When darkness falls, the Wilsons discover the silhouette of four figures holding hands as they stand in the driveway: doppelgangers of themselves.

The Kings of Summer (2013, 95 min.)

Kings of Summer Film Poster.. Digital Image. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2179116/ 

Verging on adolescence, Joe finds himself more and more aggravated by his dad's attempts to control his life. Declaring freedom, Joe and his best buddy Patrick, along with an odd kid called Biaggio, escape to the woods, where they construct a house, just for them, with no parents or responsibility. There they discover that they are in control of their destinies, all alone out in the forest.

Annihilation (2018,115 min.)

First Image: Investigative Team Entering the Forest. Digital Image.IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2798920/ ; Second Image: Annihilation Film Poster. Digital Image. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2798920/ 

Biologist and former soldier Lena is shocked when her missing husband comes home near death from a top-secret mission into The Shimmer, a mysterious quarantine zone from which no one has ever returned. Now, Lena and her elite team must enter a beautiful, deadly world of mutated landscapes and creatures, to discover how to stop the growing phenomenon that threatens all life on Earth.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2019, 117 min.)

First Image: Group Shot of The Different Spider-People. Digital Image. NY Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/12/movies/spider-man-into-the-spider-verse-review.html ; Second Image: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Film Poster. Digital Image. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4633694/ 

When Miles Morales, a teenager living in New York, becomes the new Spider-Man, he must team up with Spider-Man counterparts from other dimensions to save New York City from Kingpin.

Dead Poets Society (1989, 129 min.)

First Image: Prof. Keating Teaching His Students. Digital Image. The Young Folks. https://www.theyoungfolks.com/review/47037/the-film-canon-dead-poets-society-1989/ ; Second Image: Dead Poets Society Film Poster. Digital Image. What’s New on Netflix. https://whatsnewonnetflix.com/south-africa/1103/dead-poets-society-1989 

Robin Williams portrays English professor John Keating, who, in an age of crew cuts, sport coats and cheerless conformity, inspires his students to live life to the fullest, exclaiming "Carpe Diem, lads! Seize the day. Make your lives extraordinary!" The charismatic teacher's emotionally charged challenge is met by his students with irrepressible enthusiasm--changing their lives forever.

Explore more titles related to this topic via IUCAT.

       

• Being Human

• Media Services Streaming Media Libguide
• Themester@IU

Connectedness & Health: The Science of Social Connection, Dr. Emma Seppälä, 8 May, 2014, -- a guide on how to use the science of social connection to better yourself and prevent the dangers of not providing yourself with enough social connection.

Are We Losing the Human Connection?, Charles Ashworth, 19 Aug., 2019, -- a critical article on how human connection works in the present digital age.

The Future of Social Connection, Loneliness, and Technology, Kristine Gloria, 5 Oct., 2020, -- an in-depth conversation on the future of human connection and the potential impact of technology on meaningful relationships.

Can Digital Technology Enhance Social Connectedness Among Older Adults? A Feasible Study, B.B. Neves, R. Franz, R. Judges, C. Beermann, R. Baecker, 22 Nov., 2017, -- this study examined the feasibility of a novel communication technology to enhance social connectedness among older adults in residential care. Research suggests that technology can create opportunities for social connectedness, helping alleviate social isolation and loneliness. 

Social Connectedness, Various Authors, -- a compilation of varying articles, studies, and reports about topics pertaining to Social Connectedness.