On September 29th, The Frida Cinema hosted a special screening of Luca Guadagnino’s acclaimed LGBTQ+ romantic drama, Call Me by Your Name. The event was the first of Movies ‘N’ the Books X Frida, a new film series in collaboration with Old Town Tustin bookstore Arvida Book Co. and its book club, Movies n’ Books Club. Frida and Arvida plan to continue this partnership as a monthly series, with Henry Selick’s stop-motion adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel Coraline coming up next on October 27th!
Frida Cinema manager Martin Nguyen serves up Elio’s Peach Bellini, inspired by the novel and film, for 21+ guests.
In keeping with The Frida’s renown tradition of immersive event theming, the cinema’s lobby was transformed into a pop-up book store, with moviegoers and book club members alike were greeting to a table of new and used literature and tote bags from Arvida Book Co. In addition, the Frida’s 21+ guests were treated to drinks specially made for the screening, including “Elio’s Peach Bellini” which included Peach Schnapps, Peach Prosecco, and frozen peaches in honor of the film’s notable peach scene.
After the screening, the audience was treated to a post-film discussion, with questions posted in the form of a QR code on the screen, and discussion facilitated by the club co-presidents. Topics included comparisons between the book and film adaptation, misogyny and internalized homophobia portrayed in the film’s characters, a predatory element to the relationship within the main romance, bisexuality, and some discussion surrounding the recent controversy surrounding one of the film’s leads, actor Armie Hammer.
Guests were all invited to share and learn from each other through rich dialogue that analyzed the meaning behind the film, and choices that were made on part of director Luca Guadagnino and its cast. Most everyone chimed in to incorporate their insight, with those not who were not already members of the Movies n’ Books Club becoming honorary members for the night!
Don’t miss the next installment of Movies ‘N’ the Books X Frida, when Arvida Book Co. returns to The Frida on Thursday, October 27th with Coraline! Click here for advance tickets, and keep posted for additional screenings in the future.
