Conversations in Cars: Road Trips and Relationships
Programmed by: Lauren Sklarz
There’s nowhere to hide in a car. For better or for worse, the intimacy is unavoidable, even if it’s just for the duration of that trip. In other words, when you drive with someone you’re forced into some sort of relationship with them. How, then, does the road trip plot transform its cast as it transforms its scenery? How does travel change how each character feels about the other while confined to close quarters? What does the ennui of driving, combined with forced proximity, teach them? Whether the objective is escape (Pierrot le Fou, Doom Generation), finding a missing lover (Tangerine, The Daytrippers), or simply ordering a hamburger (Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle), the themes of trust, cultural identity, and desire come into bright focus within the cramped four walls of a car.
The Daytrippers (1996)
Greg Mottola · 87m · DCP
Director Greg Mottola’s debut, this New York indie gem was filmed in only 17 days. It follows the D’Amicos as they pile in the family station wagon and embark on a trip to New York City in search of eldest daughter Eliza’s husband Louis. Featuring an iconic cast including Liev Schrieber, Parker Posey, and Stanley Tucci, The Daytrippers is a story about infidelity and loyalty, claustrophobia and coziness, and above all, the many faces of love.
Friday, October 3 7:00 PM
Tangerine (2015)
Sean Baker · 87m · DCP
It’s Christmas Eve in Los Angeles and Sin Dee just got out of jail. With her best friend Alexandra in tow, we follow Sin Dee on a search for her cheating boyfriend and pimp, Chester. Across town, Armenian taxi driver Razmik confronts his own infidelities, as well as his relationships with his family and job. Shot on an iPhone 5s and complete with an EDM-heavy soundtrack, Tangerine is dreamy, tender, and as 2015 as it gets.
Friday, October 10 9:00 PM
Pierrot le Fou (1965)
Jean-Luc Godard · 110m · 35mm
Godard’s tenth feature film follows disillusioned Ferdinand (Jean-Paul Belmondo), who abandons his wife and children for the family babysitter, Marianne (Anna Karina). After discovering that Marianne is on the run from hit-men, the two embark on a rip-roaring crime spree through France seeking escape from their past lives. Pierrot le Fou is chaotic and vibrant, complete with Godard’s flair for introspection and his impeccable eye for beauty.
Friday, October 17 7:00 PM · Sunday, October 19 4:00 PM
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
Danny Leiner · 88m · 35mm
On a random Friday night, best friends Harold and Kumar get high watching television and end up enchanted by a commercial for White Castle. But of course, what starts as a quick hamburger run turns into an epic all-night adventure through suburban New Jersey. A love letter to friendship, weed, fast food, and the Garden State, Harold and Kumar is as heartfelt as it is hilarious.
Friday, October 24 7:00 PM
The Doom Generation (1995)
Gregg Araki · 83m · DCP
Wake up and smell the cappuccino, geek! The Doom Generation is the second film in Araki’s Teen Apocalypse Trilogy, and the most bloody. It follows a teen couple and their hitchhiker on a surrealist, depraved journey through LA and small-town America, accompanied by a sublime soundtrack that features artists such as Slowdive and Lush.
Friday, October 31 7:00 PM · Saturday, November 1 9:30 PM
Thelma and Louise (1991)
Ridley Scott · 130m · DCP
Best friends Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) set out for Arkansas on a break from their everyday lives. But after Louise kills a man who tries to rape her, what starts as a short trip turns into an escape from the police. An epic rendered in feature-length, Thelma and Louise touches on the conditions of freedom and misogyny in America, and the unrelenting persistence of love between two women.
Friday, November 7 7:00 PM
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)
Beeban Kidron · 109m · DCP
Drag queens Vida Boheme and Noxeema Jackson are on their way to a competition in Hollywood. En route, they agree to take amateur Chi-Chi Rodriguez under their wing. From there, the three pile into an old Cadillac and make their way from New York to L.A., spreading their charm — and fashion sense — to every person they encounter.
Friday, November 14 7:00 PM
Alice in the Cities (1974)
Wim Wenders · 110m · DCP
Before there was Paris, Texas, there was Alice in the Cities. After a lackluster trip across the U.S., a German journalist returns home in an attempt to fix his writer’s block. On the way, he ends up in charge of nine year-old Alice. On a journey across Europe, they form an unlikely friendship while looking for Alice’s grandmother. In true Wenders fashion, the film is existential and heartfelt, remarking on loss, culture, and the passage of time.
Friday, November 21 7:00 PM
Il Sorpasso (1962)
Dino Risi · 105m · DCP
Roberto is a shy law student. Bruno is a flamboyant middle-aged bachelor. After a couple drinks, the two men take off on a chaotic road trip from Rome to Tuscany. Il Sorpasso — also known as “The Easy Life” — is a biting satire on post-war Italy, as well as a slapstick and philosophical exploration into the lives of two very different men, who also happen to be very similar.
