FACETS CINÉMATHÈQUE
December 2012
The Facets Cinémathèque is located at 1517 W. Fullerton Ave. in Chicago. For more information on films playing in the Cinémathèque, please call 773-281-4114. To order advance tickets online, visit the TicketWeb website by clicking here.
Chicago Premiere
NEW JERUSALEM
"A delicately observed film about relationships and vulnerability... impressively performed by Colm O'Leary and Will Oldham, with a gentle humour and a real sense of compassion"
-Screen Daily
"Seriously relevant and insightful"
-Hammer to Nail
"There's beauty to be found in the film's sheen of placid grime"
-Village Voice
-Chicago Tribune
-Roger Ebert
Recommended! "Spare, affecting"
-NewCity Chicago
"Will Oldham is a captivating character actor. He brings an off-kilter intensity to every role he occupies"
-TimeOut Chicago
New Jerusalem is about an Irish immigrant (Colm O'Leary) in America who, upon returning from military service in Afghanistan, becomes friends with a determined evangelical Christian (Will Oldham,
Old Joy). In the local diner they speak about the end of the world and the consolation to believe in something. Sean, quite vulnerable and suffering from trauma, is confronted by a choice between the temptation of certainty and the chaos of the world around him. It is difficult for him to see which route will leads to salvation, as he tries to find his "true" identity after his experience in the war.
A meditation on friendship, human need and frailty,
New Jerusalem explores the allure and limitations of modern utopian belief. Filmmaker Rick Alverson (
The Builder,
The Comedy) has made a film which is a subtle and contemplative study about mutual obligation and the uncomfortable intimacy which accompanies spirituality in the modern world.
New Jerusalem is a brilliant addition to the contemporary American Indie landscape and a must see for fans of the work of Kelly Reichardt (
Meek's Cutoff) and David Gordon Green (
George Washington).
Directed by Rick Alverson, U.S.A., 2011, 94 mins.
Screen Daily
Hammer to Nail
Village Voice
Chicago Tribune
Roger Ebert
NewCity Chicago
Showtimes:
Fri., Dec. 7 at 7 & 9 pm
Sat., Dec. 8 at 3, 5, 7 & 9 pm
Sun., Dec. 9 at 3, 5 & 7 pm
Mon.-Thurs., Dec. 10-13 at 7 & 9 pm
Tickets: