Wes Anderson’s dark tale of espionage follows a strained father-daughter relationship within a family business. Twists revolve around betrayal and morally gray choices.
At the height of summer, 18-year-old Cécile (Lily McInerny) is languishing by the French seaside with her handsome father, Raymond (Claes Bang), and his girlfriend, Elsa (Naïlia Harzoune), when the arrival of her late mother’s friend, Anne (Chloë Sevigny), changes everything. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of their surroundings, Cécile’s world is threatened and, desperate to regain control, she sets in motion a plan to drive Anne away with tragic consequences.
An adaptation of Françoise Sagan’s unforgettable coming-of-age novel by the same title, Durga Chew-Bose’s Bonjour Tristesse masterfully captures the complexity of relationships between women and how they wield influence over one another’s fates.
“Catherine Deneuve doesn’t just play Bernadette Chirac in ‘The President’s Wife’—she rewrites the part history forgot.” – Rex Reed, Observer
The woman behind the man, Bernadette Chirac (Catherine Deneuve), arrives at the presidential Elysée Palace in 1995, frustrated and cast off by her newly elected husband, Jacques (Michel Vuillermoz). Having always worked in his shadow to help his ascent to the presidency, Madame Chirac now fully expects to get the place in the political elite that she believes she deserves.
In Léa Domenach’s whip-smart feature film debut based on true events, Madame Chirac’s rise from invisible political spouse to major media figure–as calculated as it was inevitable–is chronicled with equal parts reverence and wit, driven by Deneuve’s wryly memorable central performance.
“…the film is a beam of light — about math, science and the ability of girls to achieve — arriving at a moment when not only the Taliban continues to aggressively deny girls an education in Afghanistan, but also science in our own country is taking a hit. We can all use some light.” – Variety
In a nation (Afghanistan) where educating girls is seen as rebellion, a visionary woman dares to teach young minds to dream. When their innovation draws global attention, their success sparks hope and opposition. As threats loom, their courage ignites a movement.
Adapted from Jane Austen’s timeless masterwork, PRIDE & PREJUDICE brings a modern sensibility to one of the greatest love stories of all time.
In this adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved novel, Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) lives with her mother, father and sisters in the English countryside. As the eldest, she faces mounting pressure from her parents to marry. When the outspoken Elizabeth is introduced to the handsome and upper-class Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), sparks fly. Although there is obvious chemistry between the two, Darcy’s overly reserved nature threatens the fledgling relationship.
Agathe, hopelessly clumsy yet charming and full of contradictions, finds herself in desperate singlehood. Her dream is to experience love akin to a Jane Austen novel and her ultimate aspiration is to become a writer. Instead, she spends her days selling books in the legendary British Bookshop, Shakespeare & Co, in Paris.
Invited to the Jane Austen Writers’ Residency in England, she must confront her insecurities to finally fulfill her ambition of becoming a novelist and put an end to wasting her sentimental life.
“The comedy manages to be at once an odd-couple bromance, a showcase for Key’s uproarious woolgathering, a quite respectable musical event, a meditation on grief, and an achingly nostalgic look at the harmonies we carry with us through life.” – NPR
“…effective character study that deserves your attention.” – Boston Globe
97% on Rotten Tomatoes
THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND follows Charles (Tim Key), an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island and dreams of getting his favorite musicians, McGwyer Mortimer (Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan) back together.
His fantasy becomes a reality when the bandmates and former lovers accept his invitation to play a private show at his home on Wallis Island. Old tensions resurface as Charles tries desperately to salvage his dream gig.
“Upon first glance, Jeremy Workman’s Secret Mall Apartment tells a bizarre story about artists who created and lived in an apartment in their local mall. But at its core, the film offers unique insights into gentrification, consumerism, and the impermanence of art.” – The Austin Chronicle
100% on Rotten Tomatoes
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Imagine living rent-free in a mall for four years—hidden in plain sight, just beyond the food court. That’s what a group of artists pulled off in the early 2000s. Director Jeremy Workman brings their astonishing true story to the screen in Secret Mall Apartment.
Workman—an Emmy-nominated, Academy Award-shortlisted, SXWS Jury Grand Prize-winning director and filmmaker—has edited multiple Oscar montages and Lifetime Achievements tributes and has featured some of his films on Netflix.
Produced by actor and fellow filmmaker Jesse Eisenberg, Secret Mall Apartment chronicles the covert creation of a fully functional living space inside a Rhode Island mall, a subversive experiment in urban squatting and artistic rebellion.
“If you want a balm for these difficult times, Bob Trevino Likes It is it.” – FilmWeek
“A deeply moving film, and a passionate, uplifting paean to the importance of found family.” – AV Club
“When one performance in a movie is exceptional, you can credit the actor. But when everyone is great, it has to have at least something to do with the director. That’s the case with “Bob Trevino Likes It,” which has three standout performances.” – SF Chronicle
95% on Rotten Tomatoes
Inspired by the true friendship that writer/director Tracie Laymon found with a stranger when looking for her father online. Often playing the role of caretaker to people like her father who should be caring for her, Lily Trevino longs for a familial connection, having been abandoned by her mother as a child and then suddenly by her father in her twenties.
Bob Trevino works long hours alone at a construction company to support his wife Jeanie’s scrapbooking habit. The couple has endured a lot in the past decade, and Bob has sought to put his wife first, to the point of ignoring his own feelings and need for friendship, meaning, and connection–that is, until he gets an unexpected Facebook message from a stranger.
Lily and Bob’s blossoming friendship becomes a vital source of connection and healing in both their lives. Bob’s small acts of fatherly kindness fill a familial void in Lily’s life and hold the power to change her direction forever. In their own ways, these two must both learn they are worthy of extraordinary love exemplified through small acts of kindness.
“Roshan Sethi’s quietly confident film unspools a tender love story between two men—and the generations learning to accept them—with wit, nuance and no interest in cliché.” – Observer
“In this vibrant addition to cinema’s romantic landscape, love isn’t the only winner: cultural understanding and the freedom to choose your own path triumph as well.” – The New York Times
96% on Rotten Tomatoes
Naveen Gavaskar is a self-effacing, soft-spoken doctor with a boisterous mother, seemingly perfect sister and quiet father. The Gavaskars are outwardly accepting of Naveen’s sexuality but have never had to confront it in practice. While at temple, Naveen meets Jay Kurundkar, a white man adopted by two Indian parents. Naveen is slowly charmed and softened by Jay’s sincerity and confidence. They fall in love–even as Naveen avoids telling his family about Jay. One afternoon, they run into Naveen’s brother-in-law and an embarrassed Naveen describes Jay as a “friend”. The encounter precipitates a discussion in which Naveen admits that he, like Jay, dreams of having a big Indian wedding. Now, Jay, who has no family of his own, must meet the Gavaskars–Naveen’s family. This causes a collision between the family, Jay–who has his own insecurities–and Naveen, caught between who he is with his family and who he is outside of it. After comic misunderstandings, frank fights, and emotional revelations, the family falls apart, questioning everything. Naveen and Jay’s hard-won love makes each of the Gavaskars face the reality of their own relationships. And through a sweetly woven reconciliation, they come together again to plan Naveen and Jay’s own big, Indian wedding.
“…an engaging delight from start to finish.” – The Hollywood Reporter
Inspired by the true story of a disillusioned Englishman who went to work in a school in Argentina in 1976. Expecting an easy ride, Tom discovers a divided nation and a class of unteachable students. However, after he rescues a penguin from an oil-slicked beach, his life is turned upside-down.
On May 17, we will host award-winning Director Catherine Masud and UConn Law School visiting assistant professor Gaurav Mukherjee in-person for a post-film conversation that explores the film through the framework of legal activism. The main subject of this documentary, Stephen Bingham, will also attend this discussion virtually.
A Double Life unveils the gripping true story of Stephen Bingham, a lawyer accused of passing a gun to prisoners’ rights leader George Jackson in 1971. Forced into a life on the run, Bingham spends 13 years underground, eluding capture while fiercely determined to clear his name.
Director’s Statement
This film is as much about Steve/Robert as it is about his times. The turbulent era of civil rights, student rebellion, and state surveillance forms the backdrop of a personal story of a man who remained focused on his values and ideals through multiple disruptions and tragedies. The story is told through the various perspectives of his friends and colleagues in both the US and France, as well as family members, both alive and dead. It is also a generational story, of the tensions that arise when world views collide between parents and their children, mirroring wider societal divides. It is a love story of Steve and Françoise, who had to choose to risk everything. To tell this complex story spanning eras and continents, the narrative weaves back and forth between present and past, through a combination of verité treatments and archival footage, to unveil a drama of racial injustice, state surveillance, family jealousies, and political divides.
This story is powerfully relevant in the present era of social unrest and polarization, when our constitutional rights and the rule of law are under threat from within, even as our nation struggles to come to terms with the truth of our dark past. In this contemporary climate, we have much to learn from the life stories of people like Stephen Bingham and other lawyers of his generation who, in dark times, stepped forward in defense of justice and equality. It is not only a film of his time, but also a film for our times.
Photo of Catherine Masud by Peter Morenus/UConn
Director’s Bio
Catherine Masud is an award-winning filmmaker with over 30 years of experience producing, directing, and editing, working in documentary and fictional genres. She produced and co-wrote the acclaimed feature MATIR MOINA (The Clay Bird), which won the International Critics’ Prize at Cannes and became the first Bangladeshi film to compete in the Oscars. Thematically, many of her movies address social justice issues and the conflict between religious and cultural identity. Her films have screened at major festivals, been theatrically released in many countries, and broadcast on such outlets as Turner Classic Movies, Channel 4 (UK), TV Ontario, and SBS (Australia). An American citizen by birth, Catherine spent much of her adult life in Dhaka, Bangladesh, working with her late husband and filmmaking partner Tareque Masud. Since relocating back to the US in 2015, she has divided her time between teaching, writing, and filmmaking. She currently teaches documentary and human rights at the University of Connecticut.
Gaurav Mukherjee is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Connecticut School of Law, where he writes about how constitutional law shapes and is shaped by democratic politics. He is a frequent commentator on Connecticut politics, and his newer work explores how the arts respond to moments of constitutional and human rights crises. Among others, his writing has appeared or is forthcoming in the California Law Review, BYU Law Review, and the Oxford Handbook of Economic and Social Rights.
“It is as far from the commercial mainstream as narrative filmmaking gets, but for connoisseurs of the poetic bizarre, it has its very real enchantments.” – Washington Post
“A wholly original fusion of Iranian cinema and esoteric gags about the banality of life in Winnipeg, it’s a wholly original conceit from start to finish, and simultaneously one of the most unexpectedly funny and poignant films I’ve seen in recent memory.” – Paste Magazine
“There is no single category that you can slot Rankin’s mix of a wink, a nudge and an embrace into, so we guess “lo-fi masterpiece” will have to do…” – Rolling Stone
96% on Rotten Tomatoes
In a mysterious and surreal interzone somewhere between Tehran and Winnipeg, the lives of multiple characters interweave in surprising and mysterious ways. Gradeschoolers Negin and Nazgol find a sum of money frozen in the winter ice and try to claim it. Meanwhile, Massoud leads a group of increasingly befuddled tourists through the monuments and historic sites of Winnipeg. Matthew quits his meaningless job in a Québecois government office and sets out on an enigmatic journey to visit his mother. Space, time and personal identities crossfade, interweave and echo into a surreal comedy of misdirection.
In Farsi and French with English subtitles.
Saturday, May 3, we will host Tape Artist Michael Townsend (the main subject of the documentary) and AS220 co-founder and artist Umberto Crenca for a special conversation after the 7:00 pm screening, moderated by our Executive Director, Will K. Wilkins. UPDATE: The director, Jeremy Workman, will not be able to make this screening.
Tickets available here for May 3.
Tuesday, May 6, we will host “How We Living: A Q&A on Livability in Hartford w/Taneisha Duggan Director of Arts, Culture and Entertainment and Jeff Auker Director of Development Services.” This special conversation will take place after the 7:00 pm screening. All Hartford artists and creatives are invited to join this discussion. This event is sponsored by the City of Hartford and is free to attend (with registration).
Register here for May 6.
We will be playing this movie every day from Friday, May 2 to Thursday, May 8. Advance tickets are available for all other showtimes here.
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“Compelling…. Jeremy Workman’s documentary looks back at a project that may sound like a joke but had serious underpinnings.” -Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times
“Upon first glance, Jeremy Workman’s Secret Mall Apartment tells a bizarre story about artists who created and lived in an apartment in their local mall. But at its core, the film offers unique insights into gentrification, consumerism, and the impermanence of art.” – The Austin Chronicle
“A hugely entertaining and insightful doc about issues/art that will force you to think while you laugh.” – Ken Burns
100% on Rotten Tomatoes
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Imagine living rent-free in a mall for four years—hidden in plain sight, just beyond the food court. That’s what a group of artists pulled off in the early 2000s. Director Jeremy Workman brings their astonishing true story to the screen in Secret Mall Apartment.
Workman—an Emmy-nominated, Academy Award-shortlisted, SXWS Jury Grand Prize-winning director and filmmaker—has edited multiple Oscar montages and Lifetime Achievements tributes and has featured some of his films on Netflix.
Produced by actor and fellow filmmaker Jesse Eisenberg, Secret Mall Apartment chronicles the covert creation of a fully functional living space inside a Rhode Island mall, a subversive experiment in urban squatting and artistic rebellion.
“As a testament to the human spirit, Mickey 17 is audacious and over the top in all the right ways.” Chicago Reader
“(Robert) Pattinson’s malleable performances as two warring Mickeys gracefully complement Bong’s playful sensibilities to make “Mickey 17” one of the most galvanizing cinematic experiences this year.” – Salon.com
Adapted from a sci-fi novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, directed by Bong Joon-ho (of Oscar-winning Parasite), Mickey 17 stars Robert Pattinson as an “expendable” – a disposable crew member on a space mission, selected for dangerous tasks because his body can be reprinted if he dies, with his memories largely intact. With one regeneration, though, things go very wrong.
“…witty, wise, and warm character study.” – Indiewire
“Watts finds another rich vein of emotion to dramatize with delicacy, humor and intelligent vulnerability.” – LA Times
“The work Watts and Murray do […] is both emotionally raw and acutely thoughtful, rife with specificity. It’s career-high stuff.” – RogerEbert.com
83% on Rotten Tomatoes
Writer and teacher Iris (Naomi Watts) finds her comfortable, solitary New York life thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor (Bill Murray) dies suddenly and bequeaths her his beloved 150 lb. Great Dane. The regal yet intractable beast, named Apollo, immediately creates practical problems for Iris, from furniture destruction to eviction notices, as well as more existential ones, his looming presence constantly reminding her of her friend’s problematic choices in both life and death. Yet, as Iris finds herself unexpectedly bonding with the animal, she begins to come to terms with her past, her lost friend, and her own creative inner life.
NYT Critics Pick – a “funny, elegiac feature directorial debut” from Carson Lund.
“Carson Lund treats the power of a shared interest with profound, elegiac empathy.” – Slant Magazine
100% on Rotten Tomatoes
As an imminent construction project looms over their beloved small-town baseball field, a pair of New England Sunday league teams face off for the last time over the course of a day. Tensions flare up and ceremonial laughs are shared as an era of camaraderie and escapism fades into an uncertain future.
“Nyoni and cinematographer David Gallego conjure up dreams and drama with equal ease and effectiveness.” – RogerEbert.com
“Nyoni’s embrace of the absurd, as well as her seamless use of symbolic references and the depiction of traditional rituals, showcase her impressive storytelling talent.” – Boston Globe
“…vital film with a distinct personality and playfulness that enriches the material.” – Deep Focus Review
100% on Rotten Tomatoes
From A24, the studio behind MOONLIGHT, LADY BIRD, EX MACHINA, THE WITCH, EIGHTH GRADE, HEREDITARY and more.
On an empty road in the middle of the night, Shula stumbles across the body of her uncle. As funeral proceedings begin around them, she and her cousins bring to light the buried secrets of their middle-class Zambian family, in filmmaker Rungano Nyoni’s surreal and vibrant reckoning with the lies we tell ourselves.
“One red square can change your entire perception of the world.” – Science.org
In his new documentary, OBSERVER, filmmaker Ian Cheney (THE ARC OF OBLIVION, KING CORN, THE SEARCH FOR GENERAL TSO, THE CITY DARK) embarks on an experiment in which he brings a series of keen eyed observers – scientists, artists, a hunter – to a range of locations around the world, often without telling them where they are going, and asks them simply to describe what they see.
What unfolds is a deep exploration and celebration of the power of observation: What happens when you find new ways to sense and perceive the world around you?
With customary whimsy and a small painted red square that Cheney brings on every journey, the film is an invitation for viewers to find beauty and meaning in even the most quotidian of locales.
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You’re invited to join us on Sunday, April 27, 12:30 pm for a one-of-a-kind screening and experience. We will host the screening in our cinema, and Trinity College Professor Susan Masino will lead an outdoor activity after the movie. Event toolkits will be provided for ticket holders who purchased the full experience package. A bus will transport the group to an offsite location near the UConn School of Law campus.
Real Art Ways is one of several select theaters participating in this screening and event series nationwide. We are thrilled to offer this experience, especially as it coincides with the 2025 City Nature Challenge!
We are proudly presenting this screening as part of Science on Screen, an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, in partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Science on Screen® is a film series that features “creative pairings of classic, cult, and documentary films with lively introductions by notable figures from the world of science, technology, and medicine.”
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ABOUT IAN CHENEY (DIRECTOR)
Ian Cheney received bachelor’s & master’s degrees from Yale and an MFA in filmmaking from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. His twelve feature-length films prior to Observer (2025) include King Corn (2007), The City Dark (2010), The Search for General Tso (2014), The Most Unknown (2018), Picture a Scientist (2020), The Arc of Oblivion (2023), and Shelf Life (2024). He has helmed Wicked Delicate Films since 2003.
A former MacDowell Fellow & Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT, he has taught at Yale College and the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy, but is not a very focused teacher. He lives in Maine.
IAN CHENEY FILMOGRAPHY
King Corn (2007), The Greening of Southie (2008), Big River (2009), Truck Farm (2010), The City Dark (2011), World Fair (2012), The Melungeons (2013), The Search for General Tso (2014), Moon Mirrors (2015), Bluespace (2015), The Smog of the Sea (2016), The Measure of a Fog (2017), The Most Unknown (2018), The Emoji Story (2019), Thirteen Ways (2019), Picture a Scientist (2020), The Long Coast (2020), The Arc of Oblivion (2023), Shelf Life (2024), Observer (2025)
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Learn more about Observer: https://www.observerfilm.org/
“For my money, one of the best things you can do this season is to run to see the French director Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance while it is still playing on the big screen.” – The New Yorker
“Extraordinary… This is daring and stylish.” – FilmWeek (KPCC/NPR Los Angeles)
“Demi Moore seizes the role of her lifetime as a movie star turned fitness guru who gets axed for committing the cardinal sin of aging. You’ve never seen anything like the body horrors in Coralie Fargeat’s gory and glorious takedown of youth obsession.” – ABC News
Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? You, only better in every way. You should try this new product, it’s called The Substance. IT CHANGED MY LIFE. With The Substance, you can generate another you: younger, more beautiful, more perfect. You just have to share time — one week for one, one week for the other. A perfect balance of seven days each… Easy right? If you respect the balance… What could possibly go wrong?
