The Hope College Knickerbocker Theatre in downtown Holland will feature films from four different countries from May 13 through June 8, featuring food, fun, love and a monk with a gun. All films begin at 7:30 p.m.
The series will open on Monday-Saturday, May 13-18, with “The Old Oak,” an English
film about a once thriving and now-dying coal town that unexpectedly becomes host
to a community of Syrian refugees. While conflicts arise, the owner of the local gathering
place, The Old Oak, connects with a teenage refugee with a passion for photography.
Together, they find common ground that will allow both communities to move forward
in life. Legendary director Ken Loach said that this will be his last film, and RogerEbert.com
has said that “It’s as engrossing, thoughtful, heartfelt, angry, hopeful, and altogether
valuable as his best work.” The Herald has called it “A film with genuine heart and hope.” The film, which has won five “audience favorite” awards at different festivals, is
in English, has a run time of 1 hour and 53 minutes, and is not rated.
On Monday-Saturday, May 20-25, the series will continue with the comedy “The Monk
and the Gun,” the theatre’s first feature film from Bhutan. NBP has said that it is
“A magnificent film by an extraordinary filmmaker.” Set in 2006, as Bhutan is preparing
a peaceful move into democracy, villagers are hilariously trying to understand the
election process while an American arrives to collect a rare gun. In the meantime,
a young Buddhist monk is asked by his lama to collect guns, an unusual request and
a challenging one in a country that has few guns. Eventually, all the storylines connect
in a funny and thoughtful ending. The film was written and directed by Oscar-nominated
Pawo Choyning Dorji, who shot the entire film in the stunning landscape of Bhutan.
The Hollywood Reporter has called it “A wry satirical comedy about democracy. Beautifully
made.” The film is in Dzongkha and English, with English subtitles, has a running
time of 1 hour and 47 minutes, and is rated PG-13.
On Tuesday-Saturday, May 28-June 1, the series will move to a romantic comedy with the unusual title of
“Sometimes I Think About Dying.” The film stars Daisy Ridley, who burst onto the movie
scene as “Rey” in the final Star Wars trilogy. Ridley plays Fran, an office worker
in a dreary Oregon town who finds solace in her work and office cubicle. She is content
with the pleasant hum of the office, which allows her to daydream (sometimes about
dying), and avoid a living life. Then, a new coworker finds her funny and attempts
to break through her isolation, and she realizes that she just might want to let him
in. Collider has called the film “A dark comedy of restraint and quiet,” while The
Daily Beast has proclaimed that “Daisy Ridley is an acting tour de force.” The film
is in English with a run time of 1 hour and 31 minutes, and is rated PG-13.
The French film, “The Taste of Things,” will end the series with showings on Monday-Saturday,
June 3-8. This stunning film landed the director and writer Trần Anh Hùng the best
director award at the Cannes Film Festival. The Los Angeles Times reviewer has said,
“I don’t know if it has an equal in recent movies.”
This historical romantic drama is set in 1889 and depicts the romance of a gourmet and the cook who works for him. The film stars Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche as Eugénie and two-time César Awards winner Benoît Magimel as Dodin. Although the two have a long-time romantic relationship, Eugénie always refuses Dodin’s marriage proposals. Instead, they continue to grow their relationship as they create and prepare meals together. Time Out has said that “Binoche is luminous” in this film where food itself plays a starring role. The film is in French with English subtitles, has a run time of 2 hours and 15 minutes, and is rated PG-13.
Tickets for the individual films are $7 for regular admission, and $6 for senior citizens, Hope College faculty and staff, and children. Tickets will be sold at the door and may also be purchased online at hope.edu/tickets.
To inquire about accessibility or if you need accommodations to fully participate in the event, please email accommodations@hope.edu. Updates related to events are posted when available at hope.edu/calendar in the individual listings.
The Knickerbocker Theatre is located at 86 E. Eighth St., between College and Columbia avenues.