The Screen at Contemporary: Strange Days
Dystopian visions and alternate worlds for an age of anxiety.
Videodrome (1983)
Dir. David Cronenberg
Debbie Harry stars in this nightmarish exploration of a pirate TV channel that controls its viewers. A commentary on the power of media and our relationship to it, with surreal and grotesque imagery.
Born in Flames (1983)
Dir. Lizzie Borden
Set in an alternate New York, a group of feminists organise and rebel. Told in a documentary style, this now cult classic exploring the intersections between racism, homophobia, classism is as raw and relevant today as it was in the eighties.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Dir. Don Siegel
An idyllic American town is gradually taken over by pod people. Who can be trusted and who has already turned? Made in the paranoid era of McCarthyism, this B-Movie is now a sci-fi masterpiece and explores the fear of what those around us can become.
Alphaville (1965)
Dir. Jean- Luc Godard
Set in the world of Alpha 60 - an ultra-technical world where showing signs of emotion is punishable by death. In a sci-fi French New Wave style, this is a mesmerising look at the power of language and ideology on society.
The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
Dir. Nicholas Roeg
David Bowie stars as the alien that comes to earth to seek help for his dying planet. Told from the outsider’s perspective it shows the real threat to humanity is human beings themselves. A recently remastered version to relish on the big screen.
La Antenna (2007)
Dir. Esteban Sapir
A city without a voice is controlled by media and the corporation in this visually stunning silent film. With cinematic influences from Noir and German Expressionism, it looks to a world when the people no longer have a voice.
Another Earth (2011)
Dir. Mike Cahill
Five years ago an exact replica of Earth is seen in the sky. When the worlds become aware of each other, our lives, and that of our doubles, take different paths. What if you could see the choices another you had made about your life? Truly visionary independent cinema.
The Lobster (2015)
Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos
In the near future it is illegal to be single. Those who are are sent to a retreat to find their other half or be turned into an animal. A dark comedy that is both funny and heart-breaking that explores society’s imposing expectations and the support of true love.