The Global Ambassadors world film series kicked off with the film “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” on August 6, 2023, providing students with a unique opportunity to watch an international film. The school provided free snacks and beverages prior to the event. In the film, a murder takes place in the late 1990s on a steamy summer night, concealed by darkness due to a power outage. Three people are involved, and as a result, their fates are changed. A two-decade-long entanglement starts with this.
“Are You Lonesome Tonight?” is a story that unfolds from the personal memories of the main character before his release from prison, through which the audience sees the struggle of this guilty “good guy” in the midst of doomed failure and hopelessness. Personal recollections are strongly subjective, and this complex narrative mode, which relies on subjective narrative perspectives and adopts non-linear time structures such as flashbacks and flashforwards, is in fact a common narrative convention in film noir, which contrasts sharply with traditional Hollywood’s all-knowing and objective narrative mode as well as its continuous and complete narrative process.
Charles Lord, Assistant Director of the International Students Office, responded when asked why the film “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” was chosen for broadcast.
“This movie is not like a Hollywood or Bollywood movie; This is a film shot in a country with different cultural connotations, which can let students know about other cultures and help those who want to study abroad but don’t have the opportunity to go abroad better experience the culture of other countries,” Lord said. “And that’s what the International Student Office has always wanted to do, to let students learn about the culture of other countries,” he added.
After the movie, student Zhiyan provided gave his analysis of the film.
“The director expertly handles the shots in the movie and uses blurred images to give the impression that the movie is about a person’s memory. The director frequently flips the timeline, which makes it difficult for him to understand where things are happening at times,” Zhiyan said. “This is one of the film’s negative aspects,” he added.
Additionally, the majority of people believe that the director’s casting was excellent, which draws lots of viewers to the movie.
Be sure to keep an eye out for upcoming events on Penn State Harrisburg’s calendar of events or check out the Student Engagement and Corq apps.
