THE ARC OF OBLIVION
From executive producer Werner Herzog and director Ian Cheney, THE ARC OF OBLIVION illuminates the strange world of archives, record-keeping, and memory through a filmmaker’s quixotic quest to build an ark in Maine.
SHOWTIMES
MAR 22 | FRI
5:00 p.m.
MAR 23 | SAT
2:45, 7:20 p.m.
MAR 24 | SUN
12:30, 5:00 p.m.
MAR 25 | MON
7:20 p.m.
MAR 26 | TUE
5:00 p.m.
MAR 27 | WED
7:10 p.m.
MAR 28 | THU
7:20 p.m.
MAR 29 | FRI
5:00 p.m.
MAR 30 | SAT
2:50, 7:10 p.m.
MAR 31 | SUN
12:40, 5:00 p.m.
APR 1 | MON
7:10 p.m.
APR 2 | TUE
5:00 p.m.
APR 3 | WED
7:10 p.m.
APR 4 | THU
NO SCREENINGS
SYNOPSIS
THE ARC OF OBLIVION explores a quirk of humankind: in a universe that erases its tracks, we humans are hellbent on leaving a trace. Set against the backdrop of the filmmaker’s quixotic quest to build an ark in a field in Maine, the film heads far afield – to salt mines in the Alps, fjords in the Arctic, and ancient libraries in the Sahara – to illuminate the strange world of archives, record-keeping, and memory.
Playfully weaving stop-motion animation, spellbinding cinematography and fascinating interviews from the director’s inner circle and experts in the fields of science, culture and art – including documentarians Werner Herzog and Kirsten Johnson – THE ARC OF OBLIVION reveals how nature inspires the human drive behind filmmaking.
Director
Ian Cheney
WITH
Ian Cheney, Werner Herzog
Run Time
1 hour, 38 minutes
Released
February 16, 2024
Distributed by
Abramorama
HEARING AND VISUAL ASSISTANCE
Assisted Listening
Country
United States
SUBTITLES
None
NOT RATED
Many of the films shown at The Ross are not rated due to the prohibitive cost of acquiring a rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. Consequently, as many of these films contain graphic content, viewer discretion is advised.
REVIEWS
“In his attempt to imagine why, and how, we try to preserve memories, Cheney unearths something beautiful: We want to remember not just ourselves, but other people, and that’s what’s behind the efforts.”
“Cheney presents his far-ranging examination of memory and the pursuit of permanence in an entertaining, idiosyncratic way. […] The Arc of Oblivion offers a truly thought-provoking consideration of a heady subject.”