The Hope College Knickerbocker Theatre in downtown Holland will continue its film series this fall, featuring four films screening from Sept. 8 through Oct. 17. The first film will run from Tuesday through Saturday, while the following three films will run Monday through Saturday. All screenings begin at 7 p.m. at the Knickerbocker Theatre.
Tickets are $9 for regular admission, $7 for senior citizens and Hope faculty and staff, and free for Hope students. Tickets are available at the ticket office in the Events and Conferences Office located in downtown Holland in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center (100 E. Eighth St.). The ticket office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be called at 616-395-7890. Tickets are also available online at hope.edu/tickets.
Tuesday - Saturday, Sept. 8 - 12: The Marching Band
A sudden leukemia diagnosis turns the life of acclaimed conductor Thibaut upside down when a DNA test reveals he is adopted. His search for a bone marrow match leads him to his biological brother, Jimmy, a school canteen cook and marching band trombonist in Lille. By stepping in to conduct Jimmy’s local band, Thibaut and his brother bridge the gap between their worlds, uncovering the secrets of their past through a shared musical bond. This comedy/drama film, presented in French with English subtitles, has a running time of 103 minutes.
Le Figaro says the film “Leaves you with a huge smile,” while The Rolling Stone praises it for its “remarkable performances, deeply touching.”
Monday - Saturday, Sept. 21 - 26: The Currents
Argentinian fashion designer Lina (Isabel Aimé González Sola) decides to give in to an intrusive thought: to jump off a bridge into an icy river in the middle of Switzerland. Luckily, she survives the plunge and returns to Buenos Aires, where she tells no one of the incident, yet a transformation has taken place within her. Now left with a paralyzing fear of water, Lina has extreme difficulty readjusting to her past life and identity as a wife, mother and artist. Because of this, Lina chooses to distance herself from her husband (Esteban Bigliardi) and fashion career, and ends up isolating herself to confront long-buried existential questions. The film was directed by filmmaker Milagros Mumenthaler and described as a “quietly gripping psychological mystery with dreamlike, hallucinatory threads that weave a portrait of a woman on the verge of unraveling.” This psychological drama film, presented in Spanish with English subtitles, has a running time of 104 minutes.
Cineuropa calls it “A gripping and symphonic feature" while The Hollywood Reporter describes it as “A transfixing existential mystery.”
Monday - Saturday, Sept. 28 - Oct. 3: Union County
In a small, Ohio rural town that was hit hard by the opioid epidemic, two brothers, Cody (Will Poulter) and Jack Parsons (Noah Centineo), find themselves dealing with a court-mandated drug rehabilitation program. The two brothers find connection with a supportive counselor (Annette Deao) who inspires the brothers to work toward a brighter, sober future. Poulter and Centineo blend seamlessly with a supporting cast of mostly non-professional actors, who bring their own authentic experiences, struggles, and hopes to life as they navigate the program. The filmmaker Adam Meeks, who was born in Ohio, creates a film imbued with realism for an honest, compassionate portrait of a battle being fought across America and the solidarity that flowers on its front lines. This drama/social realism film, presented in English, has a running time of 97 minutes.
Cole Groth of FandomWire stated that “Noah Centineo is transformative … [and] disappears completely into the role,” while Matt Donato of IGN noted that it is “a film that inspires excitement about the future of American independent filmmaking.”
Monday - Saturday, Oct. 12 - 17: Renoir
Set in suburban Tokyo in 1987, Renoir follows 11-year-old Fuki as her family faces a difficult period. Her father, Keiji, is battling a terminal illness and spends much of his time in the hospital, while her mother, Utako, struggles to balance caring for him with her full-time job. Often left to herself, Fuki turns to her rich imagination for comfort and becomes fascinated by the possibility of telepathy, gradually falling deeper into her own world of fantasy. This drama and coming-of-age film, presented in Japanese with some English, has a running time of 122 minutes.
“A beautiful film." - Collider
"Shimmers with moments of beauty and sadness." - Panos Kotzathanasis, Asian Movie Pulse
To inquire about accessibility or 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 in downtown Holland at 86 E. Eighth St. between College and Columbia Avenues.