Malgré la nuit

Philippe Grandrieux’s work is dark and unsettling, addressing grand themes through deceptively meager stories. Spectators and critics are divided, but those who are willing to forego narrative and abandon themselves to the drama of cinematic material like light, bodies, grain, montage, rhythm, and sound are hailing Grandrieux’s films as a reinvention of cinema. Join us for the Chicago premieres of three recent works, along with a special solo performance by Callahan McGovern, a student at the Boston Conservatory. Grandrieux will be present at all four events.

An English man in search of his vanished lover in Paris begins a destructive relationship with a nurse grieving the death of her infant son, joining her on her quest for oblivion in the subterranean world of a brutal sex ring. Co-written with Rebecca Zlotowski, Bertrand Schefer, and John-Henry Butterworth, Malgré la nuit is a dark and erotic exploration of the body and the fragility of the human psyche. The elliptical narrative is presented in Grandrieux’s signature visceral style, daring viewers to watch the characters’ Orphic journey.

(Philippe Grandrieux, France, 2015, 150 min., DCP)

White Epilepsy Solo Performance by Callahan McGovern
Sunday, May 15, 2-5pm
Bartlett Arts Rehearsal Space, 5640 S. University Ave.

Grandrieux's recent work consists of both a performance and a film. Join us on Sunday for a continuous solo performance of White Epilepsy by Callahan McGovern, a student at the Boston conservatory. The performance is supported by the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.

Philippe Grandrieux is an artist who works in feature film, experimental television, video art, documentary, and museum and gallery installation. His films have screened at the Locarno Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival, the Festival du nouveau cinéma of Montréal, and the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Film retrospectives, installations, and performances have taken place around the world, including at the Centre Pompidou Metz, Lincoln Center, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. He is currently a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study in Cambridge, MA.

The Philippe Grandrieux residency was curated by Dominique Bluher, Lecturer and Director of MA Studies in the Department of Cinema and Media Studies.