The Okanagan Screen Arts Society is screening Knight of Cups, starring Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Natalie Portman, Monday at the Vernon Towne Theatre.
The film is an experimental drama that follows the adventures of a successful screenwriter searching for love, identity and meaning in Los Angeles and Las Vegas – two cities not known for their commitment to love, identity or meaning.
Bale plays the main character, a man haunted by the death of one brother and the dire circumstances of another. While his career continues to blossom, he feels his life is shallow and meaningless so he embarks on a journey with various guides (an amoral playboy, his ex-wife, a serene model) who offer promises of peace and belonging – with mixed results.
Critics have called the film “poetic and impressionistic” and, “a philosophically engaged, beatific, star-child as an old man’s movie.”
Featuring an ensemble cast that includes Antonio Banderas, Brian Dennehy and Wes Bentley, Knight of Cups was written and directed by Terrence Malick who utilized non-traditional filmmaking techniques such as on-screen improvisation and surprise characters to bring vitality and energy to the film.
The Okanagan Screen Arts Society is a non-profit group committed to bringing independent, quality, genre-breaking films to Vernon with a goal of providing bursaries and grants to students working in the screen arts. There will be a wine bar, live music and a brief introduction before each screening.
Monday’s screening at the Towne Cinema takes place at 5:15 and 7:45 p.m. Tickets are at the theatre box office.