The Dryden continues its tradition of bringing you the best in new foreign and independent releases with screenings of three great recent films that you won’t see on the big screen anywhere else in the region.

One of the most important and thought provoking documentaries of the year, the Dryden will present six screenings of Tony Kaye’s Lake of Fire from November 10 to 12. Kaye spent 15 years researching the abortion issue in America, and his intelligent and compelling investigation into a very complex topic, is also very graphic in showing the physical and psychological realities of abortion. The Dryden’s special three-day run will qualify Lake of Fire for a Best Documentary Academy Award® nomination.

In the visionary black comedy from Norway, The Bothersome Man (November 17 & 18), a 40-year-old man commits suicide and finds himself trapped in a materialistic purgatory where he can have anything he wishes, but finds no fulfillment. Combining deadpan gallows humor with a generous helping of slapstick, this terrific gem is a true original.

It never made it to local commercial theaters, but Seraphim Falls (December 14) is one of the most overlooked films of the year. In a gripping story of survival set shortly after the Civil War, Southerner Liam Neeson pursues former Union commander Pierce Brosnan through snowy mountains, arid plains, and, ultimately, the desert. The eye-poppingly gorgeous widescreen location cinematography makes this a must-see on 35mm film.

Jim Healy, Assistant Curator, Exhibitions, Motion Picture Department