2000s: 35 Shots of Rum

Screening + Discussion
Our pick for the 2000s

For our stop in 2000s film history, we screened 35 Shots of Rum (2008), directed by Claire Denis. The film follows a widowed father and his adult daughter whose close relationship is slowly reshaped by change, distance, and the presence of others. Built around routine rather than plot, it looks at love, care, and letting go without forcing resolution.

After the film, we talked about:

• Everyday rituals as emotional structure

• What closeness looks like when it’s quiet

• Change as something gradual rather than dramatic

• The tension between holding on and moving forward

• How Denis uses gesture, movement, and music instead of exposition

• The importance of what goes unsaid

• The train as a space of connection and transition

• Why the film resists clear conflict or catharsis