Our final Volunteer Of The Month pick was picked by Emma, as she has chosen Orson Welles’s singular adaptation of Franz Kafka’s chilling The Trial!

When bank clerk Josef K. (Anthony Perkins) is arrested on his thirtieth birthday—never told what he’s charged with, never shown his accusers—his attempt at normal life fractures into a surreal labyrinth of law offices, dark corridors, and anonymous verdicts. The law doesn’t need to explain itself, and neither does Welles’ camera—it obsesses over angles, shadows, and the hollowness of bureaucracy.

With its stark black-and-white visuals, towering architecture, and a sense of dread that feels both grand and intimate, The Trial is Welles’ most personal film—a nightmare built not for a moment, but for an eternity.

The rarely screened Four Nights of a Dreamer is Robert Bresson’s great forgotten masterpiece, a stark yet haunting ode to romantic idealism and the capriciousness of love. We are presenting it in a brand new 4K restoration via our friends at Janus Films! 

Adapted from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “White Nights,” Four Nights follows Jacques (Guillaume des Forêts), a lonely artist who roams bohemian Paris in search of the girl of his dreams. One night he saves a beautiful young woman, Marthe, from plunging into the Seine in despair over her rejection by an avoidant lover (Maurice Monnoyer). Jacques compassionately attempts to reunite Marthe with her beau, but his feelings for his new friend soon become less than platonic and his investment in her personal drama far from selfless. 

Four Nights of a Dreamer has been called the French master’s “loveliest” work: with his signature minimalism, Bresson films the shimmering beauty of nocturnal Paris as it enfolds his characters in endless possibility—subtly capturing the wonder of unexpected connection and the mystery of fate.

Michael Powell’s (of the iconic directorial duo Powell & Pressburger) deeply disturbing Peeping Tom is coming to The Frida Cinema in a brand new restoration from Rialto Pictures!

Loner Mark Lewis works at a film studio during the day and, at night, takes racy photographs of women. Also he’s making a documentary on fear, which involves recording the reactions of victims as he murders them. He befriends Helen, the daughter of the family living in the apartment below his, and he tells her vaguely about the movie he is making.

When Peeping Tom premiered in 1960, British critics savaged it. The film was immediately branded “vile,” “depraved,” and “disgusting.” 55 years later, it’s one of the most influential (and cleverly shot) thrillers ever made. 

Join us for a night of brain-busting film trivia!

Think you’ve got what it takes to go toe-to-toe with the film nerds of Southern California? Then it’s time to put your cinema knowledge to the ultimate test at The Frida’s monthly Film Trivia Night!

Each month, we challenge cinephiles with five meticulously crafted rounds of film trivia, plus a special bonus round for those who truly know their stuff. Expect everything from deep dives to cult classics, iconic soundtracks to infamous flops. 

Our In Defense Of…series for November is Chloe’s pick, and she’s chosen the 2011 animated classic Rango! 

When Rango, a lost family pet, accidentally winds up in the gritty, gun-slinging town of Dirt, the less-than-courageous lizard suddenly finds he stands out. Welcomed as the last hope the town has been waiting for, new Sheriff Rango is forced to play his new role to the hilt.

A love letter to Spaghetti Westerns and cinematic misfits alike, Rango dazzles with eye-popping animation that can’t be missed on the big screen!