April is off to a strong start here at The Frida! This weekend, we kick off our Director of the Month series with Ari Aster’s Hereditary, the director’s critically-acclaimed feature film debut. Saturday sees another modern horror favorite, Alex Garland’s Annihilation, screen for a free special event by Get Some Sleep: RSVP spots are filled, but there will be a free standby line the day of! Then we have our next Science on Screen event on Wednesday, featuring Darren Aronofsky’s Pi and a post-film presentation and discussion by Harvard University’s Dr. Jacob Barandes. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t highlight another film we’re playing: I’m talking, of course, about the one, the only, The Matrix.
Neo (Keanu Reeves) believes that Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), an elusive figure considered to be the most dangerous man alive, can answer his question — What is the Matrix? Neo is contacted by Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), a beautiful stranger who leads him into an underworld where he meets Morpheus and learns a truth that could cost him something more precious than his life. Produced on a budget of $63 million, the film brought in over $460 million worldwide during its initial run. Equally successful amongst critics, The Matrix was also nominated for and won 4 Academy Awards and continues to exercise tremendous influence on film and culture (even people who’ve never watched it have almost certainly seen the Morpheus meme and heard the phrase “redpilled”.)
For the bluepilled among us who have yet to see it, we owe this chance to experience it on the big screen to Patty Zavala, our second April Volunteer of the Month! While I had bumped into Patty before here and there, our interview was my first time talking at length with her. Coincidentally though, it turns out we share a mutual friend outside of The Frida, so that helped break the ice and facilitate a fun, friendly conversation. Patty came across as open and easygoing when answering my questions, yet some of the answers she gave were surprisingly more penetrating than her relaxed tone would have suggested. It’s a vibe that compliments the quieter, more philosophical portions of her VOTM pick, which you can see for yourself when The Matrix opens next week!
How did you find out about The Frida Cinema?
So I first found out about it for Rocky Horror. I saw that they had that here and I decided to come one time. I just loved the vibe of this place and the people here, so I just started coming more often.
What made you want to volunteer here?
I think just like the atmosphere like I said. I just loved the vibe and the people, and it seemed like a really good place to meet more like-minded people that liked film. When I saw that they were accepting volunteers here, I had some free time and I said, “Why not?”
Tell us a little bit about The Matrix.
I love everything about it. I think like the aesthetic of it, the outfits, and the story are all like ahead of its time for something from the 90s. And especially now, I feel like we’re closer to a future like that – like all I’m hearing about now is AI, AI – so it’s crazy how ahead it was.
What were your other choices for Volunteer Pick of the Month?
It was The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and (500) Days of Summer. I love Secret Life, I feel like some people have been like “Ah, I really didn’t like that one”, but I love it because it just really inspires me to get out there, live my life, and travel.
What is your favorite Frida memory?
I really enjoyed working The Frida’s birthday. It landed on a Tuesday so I was here, and I’ve never worked an event that was sold out like that. So it was really cool, with the buzz, all the crowd, and just helping out as we celebrated The Frida.
If you could program any movie here, what would you pick?
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
The Matrix screens starting Saturday, April 15th at The Frida Cinema.
Saturday, Apr 15 – 7pm
Sunday, Apr 16 – 5pm
Thursday, Apr 27 – 7pm
Saturday, Apr 29 – 7pm
Sunday, Apr 30 – 8pm
Tickets