Misery loves company. At least, it does if the Texas Theatre’s Bleak Cinema screenings are anything to judge by.
The screening series kicked off late last year with Lars von Trier’s Antichrist and has continued drawing crowds with challenging and rewarding films each month. Now, in partnership with nonprofit American Cinematheque, the Texas Theatre is doubling down and hosting “Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair” from June 8 – 14.
Now, maybe you won’t walk out of these screenings with a smile on your face or a song in your heart, but the bleakness on screen can prove cathartic for the right viewer. Bleak Week will feature totemic works of the microgenre, including the 1985 Soviet film Come and See and Pasolini’s infamous 1975 film Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom. More playfully bleak features like Yorgos Lanthimos’ 2009 film Dogtooth will also appear in the lineup…