Gene Siskel Film Center
164 N State St
312.846.2600
This event has passed.
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Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo
- When
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Friday July 16, 2010 (6pm)
Saturday July 17, 2010 (3 & 6:30pm)
Sunday July 18, 2010 (3pm)
Monday July 19, 2010 (6pm)
Tuesday July 20, 2010 (6pm)
Wednesday July 21, 2010 (8pm)
Thursday July 22, 2010 (6pm)
- Where
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- Price
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$10
“Near the end of Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo -- a mesmerizing film-essay documentary about Japan's enduring love affair with bugs -- the narrator states, "Insects, in their miniscule being, represent the entire history of a culture." It's no ponderous claim, either, as Beetle Queen draws convincing parallels between an insect-crazed modern nation and its ancient customs. Eighth-century philosophy, Buddhism, Zen and bonsai gardens, Japan's hallowed rice fields: all these things provide surprising context. Images that might have seemed foreign (Japanese children playing with giant beetles and netting video-game dragonflies) suddenly feel like a national heritage being played out. By the film's end, director Jessica Oreck's poetic visuals have instilled the same sense of marvel in the viewer as they chronicle in their subjects.”
Stephen Gossett, Flavorpill
