Mar 27
Martha's Vineyard Film Society Tisbury, MA
TicketsProf. Mattitiyahu Zimbler
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Boston College
When Harry Met Sally...— It’s All Harry’s Fault: Gender Differences in Heterosexual Cross-Sex Friendship
Program Description
Following director Rob Reiner's timeless and genre-defining romantic comedy WHEN HARRY MET SALLY... Prior to the film, Prof. Mattitiyahu Zimbler's presentation will combine science and humor to examine the defining and lingering question at the heart of the film: can men and women truly be just friends, without sex getting in the way?
Film Synopsis
Harry and Sally have known each other for years, and are very good friends, but they fear sex would ruin the friendship.
In 1977, college graduates Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) share a contentious car ride from Chicago to New York, during which they argue about whether men and women can ever truly be strictly platonic friends. Ten years later, Harry and Sally meet again at a bookstore, and in the company of their respective best friends, Jess (Bruno Kirby) and Marie (Carrie Fisher), attempt to stay friends without sex becoming an issue between them.
Photo credit: Columbia Pictures
About the Speaker
Prof. Zimbler is a Social Psychologist who teaches a number of courses related to systematic inequality and/or close relationships. As a researcher, Dr. Zimbler’s interests focused on romantic relationships, relational power, and deception. His doctoral work explored how perceptions of fairness concerning heterosexual newlyweds’ division of household labor mediated marital satisfaction. Since then he has taught at a number of universities including Tufts, UMass, and Hampshire College, before finding a permanent home at Boston College. In his practice he is dedicated to enacting a growth mindset approach to student success, and promoting an inclusive and intersectional approach to learning.