Our Hallucinations series for April dives directly into the second film of the Lone Wolf And Cub series as we present Lone Wolf And Cub: Baby Cart At The River Styx!
In this exploitation-cinema classic, which took the action and graphic violence of the Lone Wolf and Cub series to delirious new heights, Itto Ogami and Daigoro continue their quest for vengeance through meifumado, the spiritual way of “demons and damnation,” pursued constantly by the Shadow Yagyu clan and the shogun’s spies.
Hosted by Polygon’s editor-in-chief Chris Plante, Hallucinations is a monthly event that spotlights movies that challenge our expectations of story, style, and “good taste”. Plante will introduce each film with some behind-the-scenes history and critical context. With Hallucinations, The Frida Cinema wants to build a communal space for lovers of Weird Cinema. We invite guests to bond over films that change what we expect from the medium, the world, and themselves. So come early, stay late, make friends, and watch something strange, surprising, or just shamelessly sick.
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Our 21st Century Cult series takes a walk on the sardonic side with Ghost World, a sharp, offbeat coming-of-age comedy that perfectly captures the awkwardness and disillusionment of post-high school life.
The film follows Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson), two cynical teenagers who, after graduating from high school, struggle to find their place in a world they no longer feel a part of. As they drift apart, Enid forms an unlikely friendship with Seymour (Steve Buscemi), a lonely, middle-aged record collector whose life is as offbeat and awkward as hers. As the film explores their evolving relationships, it paints a poignant portrait of the tension between the comfort of nostalgia and the uncertainty of moving forward.
Based on the graphic novel by Daniel Clowes, Ghost World is a witty and deeply introspective film that resonates with anyone who’s ever felt out of sync with the world around them.
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Our first Volunteer Of The Month screening of April comes from Quinn, as they have chosen the haunting beauty of time and loss with David Lowery’s A Ghost Story from 2017.
The film follows a recently deceased ghost (Casey Affleck), draped in a simple white sheet, as he silently observes his wife (Rooney Mara) navigating life without him. Set in a secluded house, the ghost remains stuck in a liminal space, watching time unfold in unexpected ways, while grappling with his own inability to connect with the world around him.
Director David Lowery’s lyrical and meditative approach to storytelling transforms A Ghost Story into an introspective exploration of the impermanence of life and the eternal nature of memory. With its slow pace, breathtaking visuals, and an evocative score, the film has been highly influential across all genres.
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The penultimate film in our Akira Kurosawa retrospective is his epic 1985 masterpiece, Ran, now restored in glorious 4K thanks to Rialto Pictures!
A grand and visually breathtaking epic that transposes Shakespeare’s King Lear into the chaotic feudal era of 16th-century Japan of Shakespeare’s King Lear, Ran stars screen legend Tatsuya Nakadai as Hidetora Ichimonji, an aging warlord who decides to divide his vast domain among his three sons in hopes of securing peace in his final years. Instead, his decision ignites a violent power struggle, as betrayal and ambition shatter his family and plunge the region into civil war. Stripped of power and driven into madness, Hidetora becomes a ghost of his former self, wandering through the wreckage of a world he once ruled.
With its masterful use of color, and meticulously staged battle sequences, Ran is both an intimate tragedy, and a large-scale historical spectacle. In delivering his haunting and majestic summation of his lifelong explorations of power, betrayal, and the devastating consequences of human ambition, Kurosawa employs sweeping landscapes, intricate battle sequences, and vivid color symbolism to create a world teetering on the edge of chaos.
About the Restoration
Ran’s original 1985 production was made possible through a French-Japanese collaboration between Kadokawa and French producer Serge Silberman, with distribution later handled by companies such as Orion and Studiocanal. That international partnership was rekindled decades later when Kadokawa and Studiocanal brought on French laboratory Éclair to restore the film in 4K under Studiocanal’s supervision, using the original negative as its source. Much of the restoration was completed manually, frame by frame, with color grading approved by Masaharu Ueda, one of Ran’s three cinematographers and a longtime collaborator of Kurosawa.
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You sold out the first screening, so we’ve added two more! Director Ari Aster’s sun-drenched nightmare Midsommar is coming back for one final screening!
Following a tragic family loss, Dani (Florence Pugh) joins her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor) and his friends on a trip to a rural Swedish village for a midsummer festival. What starts as an idyllic escape soon spirals into an unsettling and grotesque series of rituals, as the group becomes entangled in the dark secrets of the commune.
Bathed in bright daylight and set against an idyllic backdrop, Midsommar takes a deeply disturbing look at grief, trauma, and the lengths people will go to in the name of tradition. Aster’s trademark slow-burn tension, paired with surreal imagery and shockingly graphic sequences, creates a haunting atmosphere that feels suffocating yet oddly captivating.
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Closing out our Andrei Tarkovsky Retrospective is Solaris, one of cinema’s most renowned and thought-provoking sci-fi masterpieces.
Based on the novel by Stanisław Lem, Solaris is set on a distant planet where a research station has been established to study a mysterious ocean that covers the planet’s surface. The film follows psychologist Kris Kelvin, who is sent to the station to investigate the strange occurrences happening among the crew members. As the ocean’s inexplicable powers begin to manifest, the crew members are confronted with physical manifestations of their deepest memories and regrets—projections of their pasts that challenge the boundaries of reality, identity, and the human psyche.
Upon its release, Solaris was met with critical acclaim for its intellectual depth and emotional resonance, distinguishing itself from other science fiction films of the era. It was widely praised for its psychological depth and is often cited as one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time. Solaris was also recognized at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize. In Tarkovsky’s hands, the genre becomes a platform for profound philosophical inquiry, making Solaris a timeless exploration of the human experience, the fragility of the mind, and the mysteries of existence.
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The penultimate film in our Andrei Tarkovsky Retrospective is his rarely-screen film from 1983: Nostalgia.
Set in Italy, Nostalgia follows Andrei Gorchakov, a Russian poet who is researching the life of an Italian composer while grappling with deep homesickness and a sense of alienation in a foreign land. As Gorchakov reflects on his past and the world he left behind in Russia, the film explores the themes of memory, longing, and the difficulty of reconciling one’s personal history with the present.
The film’s intimate, reflective tone, combined with its stark, beautiful cinematography, earned Nostalgia widespread acclaim. It was awarded the Best Director prize at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival, a recognition of Tarkovsky’s extraordinary ability to capture the emotional and spiritual depth of his characters. As a work of exile and reflection, Nostalgia serves as both a personal meditation for Tarkovsky and a universal exploration of the human condition, making it an essential part of his cinematic legacy.
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Up next in our Andrei Tarkovsky Retrospective is The Sacrifice, his final film.
Set in the days leading up to a nuclear war, the film centers on Alexander, a retired actor living on an isolated Swedish estate with his family. When he learns that the world is on the brink of destruction, Alexander makes an extreme, desperate vow to sacrifice everything—his family, his possessions, and his life—in the hopes of averting catastrophe. As the tension between personal sacrifice and global annihilation escalates, Tarkovsky crafts a poignant, spiritual journey that examines the complexities of selflessness, redemption, and the burden of human responsibility.
Released after Tarkovsky’s exile from the Soviet Union, The Sacrifice was his swan song, marked by a sense of personal reflection and an urgent exploration of moral and spiritual themes. Despite being filmed under difficult circumstances, it was met with critical acclaim, winning the Grand Prix at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival and becoming a testament to Tarkovsky’s unyielding artistic vision. As his final cinematic statement, The Sacrifice offers a powerful, evocative conclusion to Tarkovsky’s exploration of faith, art, and the eternal struggle between destruction and redemption.
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Encoring as part of our Andrei Tarkovsky Retrospective is Andrei Rublev, one of the director’s most celebrated and historically significant works. Set in 15th-century Russia, the film follows the life of Andrei Rublev, a monk and icon painter, as he grapples with the brutality of the world around him, the spiritual toll of his calling, and the complexities of artistic creation.
Upon its release, Andrei Rublev faced heavy censorship in the Soviet Union, and it was initially banned for its perceived bleak portrayal of Russian history and spirituality. However, it eventually garnered international acclaim, receiving the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival and securing its place as one of the greatest films ever made.
Andrei Rublev remains a cornerstone of both Tarkovsky’s career and Russian cinema, offering a profound exploration of the intersection between art, faith, and the human condition.
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The third film in our Andrei Tarkovsky Retrospective is Ivan’s Childhood, Tarkovsky’s stunning feature debut.
Set during World War II, the film follows Ivan, a young boy who has been orphaned by the war and becomes a scout for the Soviet army. As he navigates the horrors of war, his childhood innocence clashes with the brutality surrounding him, creating a haunting portrait of loss, survival, and the effects of violence on the human soul.
Tarkovsky’s masterful use of imagery—particularly his iconic dream sequences—imbues the film with a surreal, almost poetic quality, making Ivan’s Childhood a deeply emotional and visually striking meditation on the impact of war on the psyche. With this remarkable debut, Tarkovsky established the thematic depth and visual precision that would define his career, making Ivan’s Childhood an unforgettable exploration of memory, trauma, and the fragility of innocence.
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