Jacobson Talks About Film Streams’ Latest Offerings
November 17th, 2014
Omaha, NE — An Oscar contender and a unique documentary are currently featured at the art house theater.
[audio:https://kvnonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Film-Streams-Nov-14.mp3]This week, Omaha moviegoers will get a chance to view two very different but very unique films. The first is entitled Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) starring Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, and Ed Norton. The film is a black comedy that tells the story of an actor, played by Keaton, famous for portraying an iconic superhero, as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself.
Film Streams’ Founder and Director Rachel Jacobson said the film is one of her favorites of the year.
“It’s an amazing ensemble cast,†she said. “It’s one of those great films about art, about what it means to be an artist, to make great work… But there’s also this magical realism involved. I don’t want to give too much away but it’s really beautiful. The cast is absolutely incredible. It’s just a really fun movie.â€
Birdman is the latest from director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, whose other works include Amores Perros, 21 Grams, and Babel. While his previous works were all heavy hitting dramas, Jacobson said Birdman takes a somewhat lighter approach.
“All of those films to me are very, very dark. Birdman, to me, has a little more humor to it. It has a little bit more heart.â€
Birdman will play at Film Streams through December 4th.
Also playing for this week only is the documentary The Overnighters by filmmaker Jesse Moss. It follows the efforts of a North Dakotan priest as he turns his church into a makeshift dorm and counseling center for displaced individuals looking for employment during the North American oil boom. As the priest faces backlash from his small town that is ill-equipped to handle the sudden overflow of migrants, he makes a decision that leads to profound consequences that no one imagined.
Jacobson said that the film presents one of the year’s most intriguing narratives of the American Dream.
“It’s so interesting from an economic perspective but also this pastor,†she said. “He has a really interesting story. A lot changes in his life through the course of the film. It’s quite a dramatic and really well done film. It’s one of those documentaries that presents a really intimate portrait of a character. It’s pretty unusual for a filmmaker, to capture the kind of transformation of a real person that (Jesse Moss) did.â€
The Overnighters will play at Film Streams through Thursday November 20th. For more information on the films and other programs, visit www.FilmStreams.org.
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