Academy of the Muses

The director of In the City of Sylvia returns with a thought-provoking meditation on film form, art, love, and gender. University of Barcelona philology professor Raffaele Pinto leads a simulated college seminar on women’s roles in inspiring art and historical literary muses, attended entirely by actresses. Their objections to his arguments are sharp and profound—as are the professor’s post-class discussions with his wise wife. The film also incorporates moments of the women in and around Barcelona, relating both mythological parables and deeply personal stories about their relationships. A favorite at the Locarno Film Festival and Film Comment’s fourth best undistributed film of 2015.