Whitworth University presented “Black Narcissus” (directed by Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell in 1947) in the Robinson Teaching Theater for the film festival on Monday, March 31. Dr. Ria Banerjee, a professor from the Graduate Center at CUNY, provided a Q&A after the screening.  

Banerjee, who presented alongside Dr. Casey Andrews, explained that when students attend events, “it creates a kind of camaraderie between the faculty and the students that just doesn’t happen just inside a classroom […] it creates a kind of culture.”  

The film, “Black Narcissus,” tells a story of British nuns who travel to the Himalayas attempting to bring education and health care to the Indian population. Originally released in 1947, the film exhibits themes of colonialism, self-reflection and love, according to the discussion following the film. As the nuns are immersed within Indian culture, they experience the difficulties of balancing inner peace and being present for the surrounding community.  

After the movie screening, students and a few guests from the Rockwood Retirement Community asked Banerjee questions and shared their interpretations of the film. 

Most attendees left after the movie instead of joining in the discussion, but a few stuck around to hear Dr. Banerjee and the students share their thoughts. 

During the Q&A, Banerjee discussed the film with the audience, saying how “[The Himalayas] strips the nuns of their illusions of themselves” as during the story, the nuns slowly lose their passion for their mission and eventually go stir crazy.  

“This movie sets up these unfortunate binaries,” said Banerjee. The students talked about the stereotypes and dramatic differences in how white people interact with Indian people. They also added how this film put its own plot and characters into boxes with little room for mutual understanding between them.  

The Q&A ended after about 30 minutes and finished after Banerjee thanked the students and Andrews for the opportunity to speak at the festival. Find “Black Narcissus” on the HBO Max streaming service.