As I Lay Dying, dir. James Franco

A seemingly simple story set in the 1930s South about a family trying at all costs to fulfill their mother’s wish to be buried in a neighboring town.

James Franco remains true to William Faulkner’s prose and recreates the author's polyphonic narration by presenting the plot from several points of view on a split screen and in constant counterpoint (all with a resounding distinct southern drawl).

The director, who also stars in the film, guides his characters with a steady hand to expose their corporeality and imperfections. Christina Voros’s cinematography and the tension-and-release editing, punctuated by electronic music, weave a brutal and un-nostalgic portrait of historic America where simple people blindly fight for their share of the pie. A story that remains topical - not just in America.

The screening will be introduced by Jakub Majmurek