“The Immortalists” plays Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5.
Dozens of films have already sold out at the Wisconsin Film Festival and while “rush only” status certainly doesn’t mean “never,” there are tons of great films left. Two days out, here are eight selections with plenty of tickets still available:
The Immortalists (Fri, Apr 4 — 9:00p; Sat, Apr 5 — 12:00p)
“Hundreds of years from now we’re going to look back and be shocked about this horrible world that we all used to live in where people used to get old and die.” That’s how Dr. Bill Andrews introduces a quest for reversing the biological clock in the trailer for this SXSW premiere, which follows a small group of scientists pursuing research to extend human life by decades — or even reverse aging altogether. Then you could see, like, an infinite number of films.
Shorts from Mars (Sat, Apr 5 — 2:30p)
What if Zambia beat the United States to the Moon? And if one gets abducted by aliens and nobody’s around to see it, did it really happen? The fest’s theme this year is “Get Out There,” and these collections of space-themed shorts, from a docu-short about nuclear-powered space travel to a mission to the Red Planet, are taking that idea literally.
Approaching the Elephant (Sat, Apr 5 — 4:30p; Sun, Apr 6 — 1:30p)
A town in New Jersey is home to a radically different school — and a different school of thought. The subject of Amanda Rose Wilder’s documentary, students at the Teddy McArdle Free School know nothing of mandatory classes, and their curriculum and discipline are decided via popular vote. Debuting earlier this year at Missouri’s True/False Festival, Wilder’s film has already earned such loaded accolades as “a Frederick Wiseman version of Lord Of The Flies.”
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Sat, Apr 5 — 12:45p; Mon, Apr 7 — 4:00p)
Jacques Demy’s musical gained notoriety in France when it first premiered in 1964, and not just because of Catherine Deneuve; everything in the film is sung to the music of composer Michel Legrand. 50 years after its release, the Wisconsin Film Festival celebrates this love story of a couple united and then torn apart by wartime and circumstance.
Gabrielle (Sat, Apr 5 — 7:15p; Sun, Apr 6 — 1:15p)
A budding romance between a pair of developmentally challenged adults, Louise Archambault’s French language love story looks like an exuberant combination of eclectic music and talented actors — including a breakout performance from special needs actress Gabrielle Marion Rivard.
Young & Beautiful (Sun, Apr 6 — 8:30p; Wed, Apr 9 — 4:15p)
François Ozon’s latest effort sounds a little less salacious than 2008’s Swimming Pool. But just a little. This cinematic quartet of a young woman’s sexual awakening and eventual self-prostitution is told in four parts across four years. What’s more, Young & Beautiful has also marked its leading lady, French model-turned-actress Marine Vacth, as a rising star in international cinema.
Blackmail (Sun, Apr 6 — 11:00a)
The UW Cinematheque has been screening Alfred Hitchcock all spring at the Chazen Museum, but they might be outdoing themselves in their collaboration with the festival. A Sunday presentation of Vertigo is already “rush only” status, but the real attraction might be the master of suspense’s Blackmail, where the beautiful young lover of a Scotland Yard inspector faces extortion after a murder committed in self-defense. Featuring live organ accompaniment, this Hitchcock silent rarity seems as good excuse as any to screen films in the Overture Center’s Capitol Theater.
Northwest (Wed, Apr 9 — 6:30p; Thu, Apr 10 — 4:30p)
A young, upstart burglar’s rise through the criminal ranks finds him contending with increasingly dangerous heists and some good old fashioned revenge at the hands of an old partner. In what looks to be a kind of Pusher for a new generation, Michael Noer taps into youth, racial tensions, and unbridled ambition in this Danish crime drama.
- The Wisconsin Film Festival starts this Thursday night, April 3 and runs through April 10. You can find tickets for even more films online at the fest’s website.