Sunday 24 April 2022, Rumble Fish (Francis Ford Coppola, 1983), 94 minutes. Doors open at 20:00, Film starts at 20:30.
Rusty James is the leader of a small, dying gang in an industrial town. He lives in the shadow of the memory of his absent, older brother — The Motorcycle Boy. His mother has left, his father drinks, school has no meaning for him and his relationships are shallow. He is drawn into one more gang fight and the events that follow begin to change his life.
Rumble Fish stands as the most realized fulfillment of Coppola’s aesthetic aims during this period of his career, and one of his very best films. It calls to mind many other works of art, cinematic and otherwise, yet its style is completely singular. But most remarkable, perhaps, is that through this filmic language, Coppola is able to grasp something that is not esoteric but simple and universal.
Rumble Fish is about growing up. It’s about grappling with your idols and the mythology of the past. It’s about facing the future, realizing that the youthful sense of invulnerability is an illusion. It’s about the finitude of time. It’s about recognizing the need to adjust your world view. There is no other film like it.
Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Free entrance. You want to screen a movie, let us know: joe [at] lists [dot] squat [dot] net
