A flailing director recounts his life in next BFS title, plus the annual Oscar Shorts
Bozeman Film Society continues its 41st season on Friday, January 17th with a contender for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2020 Oscars. The Ellen screening of Pain & Glory, esteemed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar’s 21st feature, begins at 7pm. It is the autobiographical story of a director looking back on his life and career starring Antonio Banderas (who won best actor at Cannes for his role) and Penélope Cruz.
Pain & Glory tells of a series of reencounters experienced by Salvador Mallo, a film director in his physical decline. Some of them in the flesh, others remembered: his childhood in the 60s, when he emigrated with his parents to a village in Valencia in search of prosperity the first desire, his first adult love in the Madrid of the 80s, the pain of the breakup of that love while it was still alive and intense, writing as the only therapy to forget the unforgettable, the early discovery of cinema, and the void, the infinite void that creates the incapacity to keep on making films. Pain & Glory talks about creation, about the difficulty of separating it from one’s own life and about the passions that give it meaning and hope. In recovering his past, Salvador finds the urgent need to recount it, and in that need he also finds his salvation.
“Pain & Glory might see Almodóvar working in a minor key, but it is a major work, graced with career-best work from Antonio Banderas,” wrote a reviewer for Empire. Rated R, Pain & Glory runs 112 minutes. Presented in Spanish with subtitles.
Reserved seats are $9.75 for adults or $9.25 for seniors and students. Advance tickets available at www.theellentheatre.org (plus service fees). The Ellen lobby opens one hour before the screening for refreshments.
With awards season in full swing, BFS proudly presents the 2020 Oscar-Nominated Shorts at the Willson Auditorium on Saturday, February 1st. Brought to you by Shorts HD and Magnolia Pictures, the local tradition now in its 12th consecutive year will again feature all three categories: Documentary, Animation and Live Action. The Doc portion (two programs) kicks off the event at 1:30pm, followed by Animation at 5:45pm, and Live Action closing the screenings out at 7:30pm.
The Documentary and Live-Action programs are for mature audiences, while most of the Animation shorts are suitable for youth, with a few containing mature content. Ratings and final program lengths are posted on the BFS website. This is your chance to predict the winners – and have the edge in your Oscar pool! Ballots will be handed out for voting with prizes awarded. The Academy Awards take place Sunday, Feb. 9th.
Admission for the 2020 Oscar-Nominated Shorts is $10 for single program or $20 for an all-day pass. Those ages 16 and under pay $5 for single program or all-day pass. Advance tickets are available at Cactus Records and day of show in the Willson lobby.
Bozeman Film Society seeks out and presents independent films which engage, entertain, and foster an understanding of the world community around us. Visit www.bozemanfilmsociety.org for film previews and further information – and “Keep ‘Em Flickering!” •