FILMS 05
AMERICAN ANIMALS
A: THURSDAY, MAR 1 / 10PM / MISSOURI THEATRE // B: SATURDAY, MAR 3 / 7PM / JESSE AUDITORIUM // C: SUNDAY, MAR 4 / 8:15PM / SHOWTIME THEATER @ THE BLUE NOTE
Dir. Bart Layton; 2018; 116 min. Q&A with director Bart Layton In 2004, an unlikely band of college students attempted an outrageous heist of rare books (including original copies of Audubon’s “Birds of America”) from a university library. Inspired by the larcenies they’d witnessed on screen, they planned for months. What happened — and, arguably, didn’t happen — is the focus of this white-knuckle fictional caper film, directed with colorful verve by Bart Layton (The Imposter, T/F 2012). The acting is impeccable, but what truly sets the movie apart is that we also meet the actual young men (now older, of course) and hear the story through their not-always-reliable recollections — a strategy that only amplifies the tension. In what’s sure to be one of the most talked-about movies of the year, Layton manages both a satisfying narrative conclusion and insights into the true gulf between the movies and real life. (DW)
06
ANTÓNIO E CATARINA
A: FRIDAY, MAR 2 / 7:45PM / FORREST THEATER // B: SATURDAY, MAR 3 / 12:15PM / WILLY WILSON @ RAGTAG // C: SUNDAY, MAR 4 / 3PM / FORREST THEATER
Dir. Cristina Haneș; 2017; 40 min. Q&A with director Cristina Haneș An apartment in Lisbon, under cover of the night. Outside, predatory men of all ages loiter by a strip club. Inside, young director Cristina Haneș films her much older subject, Augusto, who calls her “Catarina.” In return, Haneș refers to him as “António.” Over the course of three years, Haneș returns repeatedly to film. Who is taking advantage of whom? With chiaroscuro photography, this deftly edited play of desire, power, and friendship pushes beyond the surface, brilliantly questioning if even reprobates can have genuine relationships with women that aren’t based on sexual domination or voyeurism. Plays with “Pumpkin Movie” (10 min.), in which director Sophy Romvari and her best friend carve jack-o’-lanterns while trading creepy stories, and “Mon Amour, Mon Ami” (dir. Adriano Valerio, 16 min.), which stars Fouad and Daniela, a couple in Italy who stick together despite — or perhaps because of — obvious challenges. (AS) 13