A message from Curator of Film Dean Otto:

As I’m looking to being confined at home for the short-term (possibly longer than I can predict), my relationship with home is a strong concern. Over the weekend, long lists of projects were drawn up.  Lingering small projects were addressed, closets cleaned, boxes unopened since the move from Minneapolis over four years ago were unearthed, and long-expired spices were pitched in the kitchen.

This experience led to my suggestion from Kanopy for today: Joanna Hogg’s Exhibition (2014) follows a couple who have lived in an architecturally significant house that they’re planning to sell. In their final weeks in the home, they reflect on the impact that the house has had on their marriage and their career as artists.  The film features Liam Gillick, whose career took off during the Young British Artists movement of the 1990s, and Viv Alberine, a member of the seminal punk band The Slits who delivers a riveting performance in her first film role. For a deep, entertaining dive into Albertine’s life, I highly recommended her autobiography Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys.

This homebound period also allows me to catch up on Hogg’s most recent film, The Souvenir, which I’ve missed at festivals and in it’s theatrical run. I’m excited to see the performance by Tilda Swinton and the debut performance by her daughter, Honor Swinton Byrne. It follows Hogg’s interest in troubled relationships and home.

Earlier today, IndieWire just reported on Tilda Swinton’s list of 11 favorite films, which was recently released by the British Film institute. They include Alain Guiraudie’s Stranger by the Lake, Fritz Lang’s M, and Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story.  All three are streaming on Kanopy.

The following Kanopy suggestions come from Projectionist and Cinema House Manager Brian Denny:

Jauja
Jauja transported me from the theater into it’s mythical landscape. Everything about the film becomes entrancing and intimate. The locations are beautiful, the costumes detailed perfectly, and the pacing sombre is yet enticing. It was easy for me to suspend disbelief, and give myself over completely to the dreamlike atmosphere of the film.

Li’l Quin Quin
I first learned of Bruno Dumont in 2016. It launched me into a retrospective of his work from The Life of Jesus to Slack Bay. It was a harrowing journey. His early work is extremely difficult, but masterful. Dealing with controversial and harsh topics, his films take their time to develop and understand. Li’l Quin Quin does not break the mold of his early films, but reinvents his approach in a hilarious and charming way. The mini-series format lends depth to the comparatively light-hearted romp and easily convinces you to watch just one more.

Holy Motors
Watching Holy Motors felt like watching Saturday morning cartoons as a child for the first time. The absurd, episodic movement of the film keeps you on your toes and intrigued. Philosophy and comedy run hand in hand as Carax plumbs, with meta-expertise, the depths of life, filmmaking, stardom, and the avant-garde. (The last 35mm print I ran as part of a regular theatrical run. They requested the print back mid-engagement.)