The Screen at Contemporary: The Stranger
When a stranger appears told in eight classic films.
Wed 11 Apr, 6.30pm
The Imposter (2012)
Dir. Bart Layton
In a small town in Texas, a 13-year-old boy goes missing - three years later, a man claims to be him. The family take him in as their son, but is he really who he claims? A nuanced and entertaining documentary that proves the truth is often far stranger than fiction.
Wed 18 Apr, 6.30pm
The Killers (1946)
Dir. Robert Siodmark
A masterful adaptation of Hemmingway’s short story, starring Burt Lancaster and Ava Garner. This moody and intense classic film establishes the film noir genre, and deals with themes of class, gender and the deception of the American Dream.
Wed 25 Apr, 6.30pm
The Skin I Live In (2011)
Dir. Pedro Almodóvar
A doctor, a patient, a prisoner and a tiger orbit each other in a remote mansion. This psychological thriller skillfully unfolds in a distinct Almodóvar style. This macabre and bizarre contemporary fairytale is intoxicating, funny and disturbing in equal measures.
Wed 2 May, 6.30pm
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Dir. Billy Wilder
A failing screenwriter meets a faded silent film star in her gothic mansion, and the two strangers strike up a relationship. This often parodied, darkly comic, critical and stylish Hollywood fable is Billy Wilder at his very best.
Wed 23 May, 6.30pm
Get Out (2017)
Dir. Jordan Peele
Photographer Chris heads to the countryside to visit his girlfriend’s liberal white family for the first time. Things start feeling uneasy as the family’s friends come to join them. This satirical gem is very funny, scary, smart, and deep in its observations of race and the outsider.
Wed 30 May, 6.30pm
Wizard of Oz (1939)
After a Tornedo rips through Kansas, Dorothy and her dog Toto find themselves in the strange land of Oz. On a quest to get home again, they embark on the yellow brick road picking up courage, a brain and heart along the way.
Wed 6 Jun, 6.30pm
In the Cut (2003)
Dir. Jane Campion
A solitary woman finds herself on the periphery of a murder investigation. The familiar archetypes of film noir are given a nuanced perspective through the female gaze. The low-fi, claustrophobic and dreamy take on the genre is both haunting and refreshing.
Wed 13 Jun, 6.30pm
The Birds (1963)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
A socialite travels to an island to deliver a pair of love birds to a potential beau. With her arrival, a series of bizarre fevered bird attacks begin to threaten the island. Prime-era Hitchcock, this remains one of the best thrillers of all time.