"Open Ending" Film Program at GES-2

From December 6th to 20th, GES-2 will host the "Open Ending" film program.

"Open Ending" is a new curated film program at GES-2 Community Center, in which the ending is considered the key to understanding what is seen: what happens to the viewer when the screen fades to black, and why endings—from fairytale happy endings to ambiguous "breaks"—so often become the source of lengthy debate and reflection.

You'll see both classic cinema and experimental, auteur films that will expand your understanding of the language of cinema.

Siegfried Kracauer said this about film endings: "The ending gives the viewer the opportunity to begin a full reflection on what they've seen. This search for the meaning of cinema, which, of course, conceals the search for the meaning of life, is doomed to never be fully satisfied, always limited by the boundaries of personal experience, the peculiarities of personal perception, and cultural codes. But in the very possibility of such a search lies the true purpose of any film's ending."

Dates: December 6-20th, 2025.

Venue: GES-2 Community Center, Bolotnaya Embankment, 15.

Age limit: 18+.

About GES-2

The GES-2 Community Center is a former power plant from the early 20th century, transformed into a major urban cultural space: a cinema, concert hall, exhibition spaces, a library, and educational programs. The building was reconstructed under the curatorial direction of Renzo Piano Building Workshop, and the institution is being developed with the participation of the V-A-C Foundation.

This is not a museum in a traditional sense. You can attend exhibitions, performances, concerts, educational programs, workshops and laboratories, book presentations, and film screenings. And yes, all in one building!

What films will be included in the program?

1. "Fitzcarraldo" (1982, directed by Werner Herzog) is a film about the mad dream of dragging a steamship through the jungle to create an opera house. This challenge to the limits of possibility ultimately leads viewers to believe that even complete and utter failure can be challenged.

Screening will take place on December 6th, 6:00 PM–8:40 PM

2. "Uncle Boonmee: The Recall of His Past Lives" (2010, directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul) is a meditative parable from the Cannes Film Festival (the film won the Palme d'Or), where death and memory combine to create a quiet "dissolution" of the world.

Peter Bradshaw wrote of this film: "A visionary film in the director's signature style: mysterious, dreamlike, tender, quiet, magical".

Screening on December 13th, 4:00–6:00 PM.

3. "Plumbum, or A Dangerous Game" (1986, directed by Vadim Abdrashitov) is a film about the last Soviet generation. Fifteen-year-old Ruslan Chutko rebels against the adult world. Captivated by the fight against evil, he crosses boundaries and intrudes into people's lives.

The screening will be followed by a discussion with screenwriter and director Alexander Mindadze.

The screening will take place on December 13th, 7:00–8:40 PM

4. "The Winter's Tale" (1992, directed by Eric Rohmer) is a romantic novella about choice and faith. A legend of the French New Wave.

Jonathan Rosenbaum: "Rohmer so masterfully mastered his favorite classic genre—the crystalline philosophical parable about character and love—that this is a near-perfect work, both in its acting and its direction".

Screening will take place on December 14th, 3:00–5:00 PM.

5. "Oasis" (2002, directed by Lee Chang-dong) is the love story of a young man just released from prison and a woman crippled by cerebral palsy. A masterpiece from the creator of "Burning."

There will also be a discussion of the film with film scholar and Korean cinema researcher Vladimir Zakharov.

The screening will take place on December 14th, 6:00–9:15 PM.

6. "Dmitri Shostakovich. Viola Sonata" (1981, directed by Alexander Sokurov) is a film about the brilliant composer Dmitri Shostakovich. The film tells the tragic and unique story of the creator.

The screening will take place on December 19th, 7:30–8:45 PM.

A full list of films and screenings can be found on the center's website: https://ges-2.org/projects/open-ended

Why should you go?

- a rare opportunity to see how different directors construct film endings;

- the film program includes interesting examples of auteur cinema, full of experimentation, that will appeal to viewers always looking for something new and unusual.

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Maria Li