PRESENTED AT THE SMITH THEATRE AT HCC’s HOROWITZ VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Nine Fridays/Saturdays of film for $35. Showtimes are 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. each night.
A FANTASTIC WOMAN (Metacritic Reviews & Trailer)
September 14 & 15, 2018
Winner of the 2018 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. There are few breakthrough performances for trans women in the history of cinema. This makes Daniela Vega’s heartbreaking performance in A Fantastic Woman an essential piece of film history. Director Sebastian Lelio delivers a mesmerizing portrait of defiant femininity, this time with Vega as a transgender woman reeling from the death of her older male partner. While his family mostly rejects her, she maintains her independent spirit through a series of hardships while figuring out a way forward, single-handedly carrying the movie on her fierce gaze. The title does not lie: In A Fantastic Woman, Vega gives us just that in every scene. IndieWire. (In Spanish) (100 minutes).
THE FLORIDA PROJECT (Metacritic Reviews & Trailer)
October 12 & 13. 2018
Six-year-old Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) and her rebellious mother Halley (Bria Vinaite) live week to week at “The Magic Castle,” a budget motel managed by Bobby (Willem Dafoe), whose stern exterior hides a deep reservoir of kindness and compassion. Despite her harsh surroundings, the precocious and ebullient Moonee has no trouble making each day a celebration of life, her endless afternoons overflowing with mischief and grand adventure as she and her ragtag playmates—including Jancey, a new arrival to the area who quickly becomes Moonee’s best friend—fearlessly explore the utterly unique world into which they’ve been thrown. Unbeknownst to Moonee, however, her delicate fantasy is supported by the toil and sacrifice of Halley, who is forced to explore increasingly dangerous possibilities in order to provide for her daughter. (In English) (111 minutes).
THE RIDER (Metacritic Reviews & Trailer)
November 9 & 10, 2018
Based on a true story, The Rider stars breakout Brady Jandreau as a once rising star of the rodeo circuit who is warned that his competition days are over after a tragic riding accident. Back home, Brady finds himself wondering what he has to live for when he can no longer do what gives him a sense of purpose: to ride and compete. In an attempt to regain control of his fate, Brady undertakes a search for new identity and tries to redefine his idea of what it means to be a man in the heartland of America. (In English) (104 minutes).
THE INSULT (Metacritic Reviews & Trailer)
January 4 & 5, 2019
In today’s Beirut, a civilian dispute blown out of proportion finds Tony (Adel Karam), a Lebanese Christian, and Yasser (Kamel El Basha), a Palestinian refugee, facing off in court. As the media circus surrounding the case threatens a social explosion in divided Lebanon, Tony and Yasser reconsider their values and beliefs as revelations of trauma complicate their understanding of one another. The Insult uses its familiar courtroom drama framework to deliver a hard-hitting statement on modern Middle Eastern politics that is as gripping as it is thought-provoking. (In Arabic)(112 minutes).
RBG (Metacritic Reviews & Trailer)
January 25 & 26, 2019
At the age of 84, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has developed a breathtaking legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon. But without a definitive Ginsburg biography, the unique personal journey of this diminutive, quiet warrior’s rise to the nation’s highest court has been largely unknown, even to some of her biggest fans – until now. (In English) (98 minutes).
THE DEATH OF STALIN (Metacritic Reviews & Trailer)
March 1 & 2, 2019
The one-liners fly as fast as political fortunes fall in this uproarious, wickedly irreverent satire from Armando Iannucci (Veep, In the Loop). Moscow, 1953: when tyrannical dictator Joseph Stalin drops dead, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to be the next Soviet leader. Among the contenders are the dweeby Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor), the wily Nikita Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi), and the sadistic secret police chief Lavrentiy Beria (Simon Russell Beale). But as they bumble, brawl, and backstab their way to the top, just who is running the government? Combining palace intrigue with rapid-fire farce, this audacious comedy is a bitingly funny takedown of bureaucratic dysfunction performed to the hilt by a sparkling ensemble cast. (In English) (107 minutes).
COLUMBUS (Metacritic Reviews & Trailer)
March 29 & 30, 2019
When a renowned architecture scholar falls suddenly ill during a speaking tour, his son Jin (John Cho) finds himself stranded in Columbus, Indiana – a small Midwestern city celebrated for its many significant modernist buildings. Jin strikes up a friendship with Casey (Haley Lu Richardson), a young architecture enthusiast who works at the local library. As their intimacy develops, Jin and Casey explore both the town and their conflicted emotions: Jin’s estranged relationship with his father, and Casey’s reluctance to leave Columbus and her mother. Columbus is a showcase for its director’s striking eye for the way physical space can affect emotions. (In English) (104 minutes).
SWEET COUNTRY (Metacritic Reviews & Trailer)
May 3 & 4, 2019
Sam, a middle-aged Aboriginal man, works for a preacher in the outback of Australia’s Northern Territory. When Harry, a bitter war veteran, moves into a neighboring outpost, the preacher sends Sam and his family to help Harry renovate his cattle yards. But Sam’s relationship with the cruel and ill-tempered Harry quickly deteriorates, culminating in a violent shootout in which Sam kills Harry in self-defense. As a result, Sam becomes a wanted criminal for the murder of a white man, and is forced to flee with his wife across the deadly outback, through glorious but harsh desert country. A hunting party led by the local lawman Sergeant Fletcher is formed to track Sam down. But as the true details of the killing start to surface, the community begins to question whether justice is really being served. (In English) (113 minutes).
SUMMER 1993 (Metacritic Reviews & Trailer)
May 31 & June 1, 2019
In the summer 1993, following the death of her parents, six-year-old Frida moves
from Barcelona to the Catalan province to live with her aunt and uncle, who are now her new legal guardians. The country life is a challenge for Frida – time passes differently in her new home and the nature that surrounds her is mysterious and estranging. She now has a little sister for whom she has to take care of and has to deal with new feelings, such as jealousy. Often, Frida is naively convinced that running away would be the best solution to her problems. Yet, the family does what it can to achieve a fragile new balance and bring normality to their life. Occasional family outings to a local fiesta or a swimming pool, cooking or listening to jazz in the garden bring them moments of happiness. Slowly, Frida realizes that she is there to stay and has to adapt to the new environment. Before the season is over, she has to cope with her emotions and her parents have to learn to love her as their own daughter. (In Catalan) (97 minutes).