The Man Who Stole a Duck

“The Man Who Stole a Duck,” directed by Héctor Babenco

A look at Brazil’s Umbanda faith, which blends Christian beliefs with elements of African religions, Duck examines the life of a violent man who can’t come to terms with a family tragedy. ““ Hollywood Reporter

An ordinary man has for years suffered infinite sadness caused by having beaten, then lost his wife. Possessed by this sense of loss he had let his son, only a few months old, cry until he died. The man carries this pain as he wanders along the streets like a madman, whose speech is at times bawling and at times murmuring. One day destiny leads him to the side of a lake where he seduces, or is seduced by the singing of, a white duck which responds to what he is saying to it. On the back seat of a public bus he carries the duck, which he is taking to his son. That night, while on his way back from the cemetery, a man dressed in white stops his car. A child, also dressed in white, stares fixedly at him from inside the car. Our beggar follows the father and child, who continues to stare at him, to a locale where a cult meeting is taking place. A catharsis will occur and dialogue with God will transform him. РH̩ctor Babenco

Followed by a conversation with President and Founder of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute Marta Moreno Vega and psychotherapist Jeffrey B. Rubin of the Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science.

Presented with the Auburn Seminary and the Nalanda Institute of Contemplative Science.

About the Speakers

The cultural arts activist Dr. Marta Moreno Vega is founder and president of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute. Dr. Vega was awarded a grant from the Ford Foundation, which partially supported the filming of the documentary “When the Spirits Dance Mambo” premiered at the Havana International Latino Film Festival in Cuba December 2002. The documentary, shot in Cuba, focuses on the impact of Santeria on the Civil Society of the island. She has received research fellowships from El Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños at Hunter College for developing a documentary on African based Spiritual Practices in Puerto Rico.

Jeffrey B. Rubin Ph.D practices psychotherapy and teaches meditation in New York City and Bedford Hills, New York. He is considered one of the leading integrators of the Western psychotherapeutic and eastern meditative traditions. A Sensei in the Rinzai Zen lineage and the creator of meditative psychotherapy, Jeffrey is the author of “Meditative Psychotherapy,” “Practicing Meditative Psychotherapy,” “The Art of Flourishing,” “Psychotherapy and Buddhism,” “The Good Life” and “A Psychoanalysis for Our Time.” Dr. Rubin has taught at various universities, psychoanalytic institutes and Buddhist and yoga centers. He lectures around the country and has given workshops at the United Nations, the Esalen Institute, and the 92nd Street Y. His pioneering approach to psychotherapy and Buddhism has been featured in The New York Times Magazine.

About Words with Gods

“Words with Gods” are short cinematic meditations on faith and consciousness masterminded by writer-director Guillermo Arriaga. The full omnibus will have its theatrical release later in the year. Here is a chance to see five of the short films in advance. The screening for each individual short is followed by a rich dialogue between a faith practitioner and a mind scientist.