Around 100 people attended the opening of the Aula UNED Torrevieja’s new Cine Crítico season on 27 October, with a screening and discussion of 2001: A Space Odyssey at the Virgen del Carmen Cultural Centre.
The event forms part of the university extension programme and opens From Science Fiction to AI, a three-film series exploring questions about technology and the human condition with its audience.
A classic seen by different generations
Manuel García Pérez, a senior teacher of Spanish Language and Literature, introduced the context of Stanley Kubrick’s film, released in 1968, and led the discussion with those attending after the screening.
Contributors included people who remembered seeing the film when it first reached cinemas, alongside others who were discovering it for the first time at this session in Torrevieja.
Memories of its original release were shared alongside reactions to its measured pace, the power of its soundtrack, the importance of silence and the scarcity of dialogue, all features that prompted contributions from the audience.
The meaning of the monolith also featured in the discussion, with García Pérez highlighting how the work remains open to anthropological, philosophical, religious and poetic interpretations rather than a single reading.
The introduction also examined the political and social circumstances of the period, with references to the use of the atomic bomb and the existence of concentration and extermination camps.
The loss of humanity and the power of technology were among the issues raised, together with the role of HAL 9000, the artificial intelligence responsible for the systems of a crewed spacecraft within the film.
The session left the interpretation of the ending open, as well as reflection on the questions the film continues to raise despite the technological developments since its release.
Further screenings in November and December
The next screening and discussion is scheduled for 24 November with Blade Runner, which will be introduced and discussed by teacher and film enthusiast José Antonio Cayuelas.
The series will conclude on 15 December with The Matrix, once again at Torrevieja’s Virgen del Carmen Cultural Centre, the same venue that hosted this opening event of the new season.
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