Friday, November 11
Why we kill
WHAT: Into the Abyss
WHERE: Uptown Theater, Minneapolis
WHEN: Times vary
Werner Herzog, fresh from his deep documentary about cave paintings in France, came to America to explore why people kill—and why the state kills—in this unflinching probe into our wiring and motivations. Learn more at landmarktheatres.com
Friday, November 11
The gospel of India
WHAT: Katha Dance Theatre
WHERE: Cowles Center, Minneapolis
WHEN: 8 p.m.
In their third collaboration, the adventurous Indian dance troupe partners with the soulful local gospel group led by Robert Robinson to find the spiritual overlap between the two wonderfully disparate forms. Learn more at thecowlescenter.org
Saturday, November 12
The peninsula perspective
WHAT: 7th Annual Twin Cities Arab Film Fest
WHERE: Heights Theatre, Minneapolis
WHEN: Films start from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
You won’t get a better selection of films, from comedies to documentaries to short movies, from Arabia and Arab-American directors, than this four-day festival. On Saturday, catch City of Life, in which three lives collide in Dubai: a privileged young man, an Indian taxi driver who resembles a Bollywood star, and a former Romanian Dancer. Later, watch Scheherazade Tell me a Story, about a young, strong-willed talk-show host stirring up controversy just as her husband seeks a high-level government job. Learn more at mizna.org
Saturday, November 12
A museum life
WHAT: Marcus Young inhabits the MIA
WHERE: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Artist Marcus Young moved into the MIA on November 8 and will spent 10 days inhabiting the museum. Most often, he’ll be in a corner of a gallery—not talking, not using the phone or a computer. Each morning, he’ll slowly walk and smile his way around the galleries, and in the afternoon he’ll help clean the museum. Slowing down, simplifying; it’s part of the Semblances show in the local-art galleries. Learn more at artsmia.org
Sunday, November 13
Exploring autism
WHAT: On the Spectrum
WHERE: Mixed Blood Theatre, Minneapolis
WHEN: 4:30 p.m.
Mixed Blood features the world premiere of this new play by Ken LaZebnik, winner of the American Theatre Critics Association’s 2007 Osborne New Play Award, as part of its Center of the Margins Festivals. It’s a love story between a young man with Asperger’s and a woman proudly defining her autism as a difference, not a disorder, setting up a conflict between the desires for acceptance and achievement. (P.S. Mixed Blood shows are still free from now on!) Learn more at mixedblood.com
Sunday, November 13
The empty life
WHAT: Jeanne Dielman
WHERE: Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
WHEN: 2 p.m.
Part of the Walker’s feminist cinema series, this groundbreaking 1975 film follows a widow from Brussels through her daily rituals of household chores. Using long takes and careful framing, along with a 25-person crew of all women, the film has become a classic of examining a seemingly empty life. Learn more at calendar.walkerart.org/event.wac?id=6513
