White Wall Cinema: The Man Who Wasn’t There
April 29 @ 7:20 pm – 10:30 pm
Anchored by a superb ensemble including Billy Bob Thornton (Sling Blade), Frances McDormand (Fargo, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Nomadland), Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, Under the Skin), and James Gandolfini (The Sopranos), the film follows Ed Crane (Thornton), a taciturn, almost nihilistic barber drifting through life in a small California town. His quiet routine is disrupted when a stranger offers him a dubious business opportunity requiring a significant investment. Suspecting his wife Doris (McDormand) of infidelity, Ed seizes what he sees as a chance to blackmail her lover and secure the money. What follows is a slow, inexorable spiral into a world of cruelty, crime, and existential uncertainty, where each decision carries unforeseen and often devastating consequences.
The film feels like the perfect synthesis of the Coens’ longstanding preoccupations, blending their signature jet-black humour with a hauntingly enigmatic crime narrative. Shot in luminous black and white by Roger Deakins (whose collaborations with the Coens and work on the likes of Blade Runner 2049 and 1917 rank among the most visually striking in modern cinema) it stands as a masterclass in neo-noir aesthetics. Complementing the imagery is Carter Burwell’s astonishing score, arguably one of the finest film composers working today, scoring all the Coens big hitters as well the likes of Being John Malkovich, and the Twilight saga) this could easily be one of the best of his career, lending the film a melancholic, almost otherworldly tone.
- DOORS: 7.20pm*
- START TIME: 7.50pm*
- RUN TIME: 116 mins
- CERT: 15 (Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult).
*Please note – doors open at 7.20pm, Please try to allow extra time to get seated prior to the performance start time of 7.50pm. There will usually be no admittance from 20 minutes after the films stated start time. No hot food or alcohol from outside the premises is allowed. All alcoholic drinks consumed on the premises must be purchased from the bar as per the conditions of the venue’s licence
