Monday April 12

MUSIC | Air

The French electronic duo Air bring tantalizing tunes and sex appeal to Boston. Their latest album Talkie Walkie has received praise by mainstream bigwigs and indie snobs alike, so expect a quality show. Mosquitos also perform. Tickets $20.25 advance, $22.25 day of show. 18+. 8 p.m. Avalon Night Club, 15 Lansdowne St., Boston. (SLS)

FILM | Ceddo

Ousmane Sembene’s 1977 film was banned in his home country on a wacky technicality, but the history only adds to the allure of Senegal’s most famous auteur’s most ambitious flick. Seemingly, the kidnapping of a beautiful princess is the centerpiece, but that is just the lens through which he address some of Senegal’s most pressing issues: Muslim expansion, Christianity and the slave trade. The title comes from the name for the common lower class, and the sweeping scope of this study envelops their desperate desire for the possibility of keeping their religious and cultural customs in the face of the 19th century’s far ranging changes. By the end of this intriguing film, the audience has been taken on a journey through philosophy, history, sci-fi and, in total, the whole of African history. 7 p.m. Harvard Film Archive. (SAW)

FILM | The Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family

The Yasujiro Ozu festival at the HFA continues with this 1941 classic look at a once-powerful families’ decline, in the mold of The Magnificent Ambersons. After the Toda’s father suddenly dies, the children are left with no option but to sell their once opulent villa in order to support their mother. However, as money is, the proceeds are quickly spent by the children’s own families. Soon, the mother is passed around like a morbid game of hot potato from child’s house to child’s house, carrying her bird and plants and leaving behind her dignity like Hansel and Gretel’s crumbs. Shouldn’t it be enough that her kids chant forcefully of their dedication to filial responsibility? Not when it destroys their mother. Tickets $6. 9:15 p.m., also playing Tuesday, April 13 at 9 p.m. Harvard Film Archive. (SAW)

Tuesday April 13

FILM | In the Mood for Love

Shimmering with vibrant, romantic color, Wong Kar-wai’s newest film sprinkles solidarity into the vast and anonymous world of 1960s Hong Kong. In stumbling upon love when they expected it the least and needed it the most, two young professionals find each other living in the same apartment building and struggling with the same doubts about their spouses. The inspiration for Lost in Translation, this symphony of detail moves slowly and beautifully through the foundations of longing. Tickets $6. 7 p.m. Harvard Film Archive. (MAM)

MUSIC | N.E.R.D.

N.E.R.D., which stands for “No One Ever Really Dies,” may be the pet project of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo—who are responsible for many a rap and teen-pop hit as the Neptunes—but, their genre bending records have made them favorites of even the most jaded music fan. The socially conscious hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas also perform. Tickets $22.25. 18+. 8 p.m. Avalon Night Club, 15 Lansdowne St., Boston. (SLS)

Wednesday

April 14

MUSIC | Twista