blast from the past

Gripping new Houston Museum of Natural Science exhibit uncovers tragic tale of Pompeii

With the world in the grip of harrowing global pandemic, mass catastrophes are suddenly much more relatable. And few historic catastrophes are more harrowing than the fateful story of the ancient Roman city, Pompeii, which will be uncovered at the Houston Museum of Natural Science in a gripping new exhibit.

POMPEII: The Exhibition tells the story of the city buried in ash and volcanic debris when Mount Vesuvius suddenly erupted some 2,000 years ago. The captivating showcase opens Saturday, February 13 (Friday, February 12 to members).

Visitors can expect more than 150 artifacts preserved in the ruins — discovered by archaeologists — that shed the light on a remarkably relatable city. The pieces reveal that Pompeii boasted a thriving city centre, food stalls, fine art, and even graffiti, according to a press release. The precious pieces are on loan from the unparalleled collection of the Naples National Archaeological Museum in Italy.

Houstonians get a first look at 10 artifacts on their first-ever appearance in any exhibition in the United States. Those items include a first-century, bronze gladiator helmet; a Citharist bronze statue of Apollo, dating to 50 A.D; and several remarkable fresco paintings, including one of Dionysus and Silenus, dating between 50 and 79 A.D., per a release.

Eight body casts excavated from the site of Pompeii residents will also be on view, highlighting lives instantly lost in the blast. The city was only discovered some 250 years ago after being wiped off the map.

“Late in the fall of the year 79 A.D., people woke up in the Roman city of Pompeii, little aware that they would not live another day,” said HMNS curator of Anthropology, Dr. Dirk Van Tuerenhout, in a statement. “Within hours, Vesuvius unleashed mortal mayhem, and within two days, as the eruption ended, Pompeii had disappeared from the map.”

A press release describes the immersive experience guests can expect, including:

An introductory video with dramatic reconstructions that describes Pompeii and the nearby volcano
A journey through the ancient city through projections, audio, video, photographic murals, and graphic reproductions of frescoes and mosaics, showcasing a market, a temple, theater, and baths
Preserved artifacts such as mosaics and frescoes, gladiator helmets, armor, and weapons, a ship’s anchor, lamps, jugs, cups, plates, pots and pans and other household objects and furniture, jewelry, medical instruments, and tools
A simulated 4D eruption theater allows visitors to experience the deathly impact Mount Vesuvius had on this ancient city, culminating in the reveal of full body casts of twisted human forms, asphyxiated by extreme heat and poisonous gases

“Buried deep in the ash lay a snapshot of Roman life. People, rich and poor, personal belongings, animals, all were swept away by this volcanic fury,” Tuerenhout added in a statement. “Over time, the story was forgotten, and life continued. But 1,700 years later, workmen found the ruins of Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum. Ever since then, excavations have continued. Slowly, methodically, our understanding of what happened has grown.”

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POMPEII: The Exhibition runs February 13 through September 6. Tickets are $15 for members; $30 for adults; $21 for children and seniors (60 and older). All tickets are for timed entry and include admission to permanent exhibit halls.

Another chilling and gripping body cast.

Pompeii: The exhibit Houston Museum of Natural Science HMNS 2021

Photo courtesy of Houston Museum of Natural Science

Another chilling and gripping body cast.

museums

Movie Review

Jessica Chastain gets in a tangled love story in new drama Dreams

Photo courtesy of Teorema

Isaac Hernández and Jessica Chastain in Dreams.

The opening scenes of the new drama Dreams are bracing, fictional sequences that call to mind real-life scenarios. In them, a young Mexican man named Fernando (Isaac Hernández) goes through a somewhat harrowing journey from the back of a semi truck in South Texas all the way to San Francisco. It’s a familiar immigrant story that seems to set the stage for a film with something interesting to say.

It turns out, however, that Fernando has not made the long and arduous trek for a job. Instead, it’s to be with Jennifer McCarthy (Jessica Chastain), a rich woman who helps lead a foundation dedicated to multiple things, including funding dance academies. Fernando, a talented dancer, and Jennifer have been in an off-and-on affair for years, with Jennifer wanting to keep their relationship a secret.

Although both are drawn to each other in an inexplicable, lustful way, their bond is tenuous, with each of them dissatisfied for different reasons. Fernando clearly sacrifices much more of himself than Jennifer, who wants for nothing except maybe more affection from her father, Michael (Marshall Bell), and brother, Jake (Rupert Friend).

Writer/director Michel Franco seems to try to inject tension into Fernando and Jennifer’s relationship from the start, an attempt that is only halfway successful. It’s clear from the way they greet each other - not to mention a steamy sex scene shortly thereafter - that they have known each other for a good length of time. Franco is able to get across this familiarity with an economy of scenes, and the intensity of their bond holds for a while.

But as the film progresses and both of them grow disenchanted with their arrangement, Franco starts taking the story in some odd directions. The biggest issue is that it’s never clear at what point in time the story is taking place. Fernando ends up making multiple trips back and forth across the border, with Jennifer doing the same at one point, and Franco’s use of flashbacks muddies the waters, wrong-footing the audience when he should be trying to draw them further into Fernando and Jennifer’s complications.

Revelations in the final act make the story even more confusing, as both main characters start saying and doing harsh things that seem to come out of nowhere. That would be all well and good if Franco actually committed to their changes of heart, but he keeps things wishy-washy for most of the final 15 minutes, resulting in an ending that makes little sense for either character.

Despite the story issues, both Chastain and Hernández give compelling performances. Chastain has been a little under the radar since winning an Oscar for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, but she keeps this character interesting longer than it should have been. Hernández has limited credits and appears to have been cast for his dancing ability, but he goes toe-to-toe with Chastain on more than one occasion and acquits himself well.

Dreams had all of the ideas to explore a more in-depth story about the complicated immigration policies between Mexico and the U.S., or how wealthy people take advantage of those less fortunate. But Franco never finds the right footing, settling instead for a titillating and somewhat mystifying relationship story that feels half-baked.

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Dreams is now playing in select theaters.

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