Avalon, directed by Mamoru Oshii
VGA is teaming up with Strange Days to present Mamoru Oshii’s “Avalon” for one night only:
FREE ADMISSION!
Set in a dystopian sci-fi landscape, "Avalon" (2001) tells the story of a not-too-distant future in which a titular illegal video game (something of a cross between Call of Duty and World of Warcraft) is the coin of the realm, and reality itself has disintegrated into a grim, cyberpunk wasteland where people are rendered catatonic from game addiction. Enter Ash, a rogue, hotshot player who is warned by the game master about venturing too far into Avalon's grueling advanced levels, however, Ash is determined to uncover the truth behind a series of increasingly strange events, starting with the suspicious death of her former teammate. A Polish-Japanese co-production directed by Mamoru Oshii, famous for the anime masterwork Ghost in the Shell, the film was released to little fanfare, but gained a cult following nonetheless, and deserves recognition alongside other cerebral sci-fi classics like Marker’s "La Jetée" and Cronenberg’s "ExistenZ." Indeed, "Avalon" is one of the first films to depict gaming tropes cinematically, complete with avatars, experience points, and even lag glitches. Despite being made almost two decades ago, it remains an apropos allegory for a world becoming increasingly subsumed into the virtual. Writing for the A.V. Club, Tasha Robinson notes, "'Avalon'...bears Oshii's unmistakable stamp, his usual stately pacing, and the gorgeous music of frequent Oshii collaborator Kenji Kawai. These elements combine to give 'Avalon' the weight of high religious ritual, and the visuals, mostly filmed in high-contrast sepia tones, are often breathtaking." Post screening Q&A with STRANGE DAYS founder Harrison Sherrod and a special guest about Oshii’s filmography, the history & legacy of "Avalon," and its prophetic vision of video gaming.
STRANGE DAYS is an experimental sci-fi screening series featuring cinema that exists outside the cultural hegemony. These films recapture the revolutionary, avant-garde spirit of science fiction and give us a new vernacular for interfacing with our contemporary extraterrestrial landscape.
@ VGA Gallery, 2418 W Bloomingdale Ave #102, Chicago, IL, 60647