Near Dark. 1987. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow

Film

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Near Dark. 1987. USA. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Courtesy of Photofest

Near Dark. 1987. USA. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Written by Bigelow, Eric Red. With Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton. 35mm. 94 min.

An Oklahoma farm boy, enticed by the new girl in town, is drawn into joining her makeshift family—a cabal of transients who avoid the sun and feast on human blood—until their lawless enterprises spiral into an all-out bacchanal. With its Dust Bowl vistas and cowboy imagery, Near Dark diverges from the generic horror film to pay homage to the American Southwest and forms a lyrical mélange of unadulterated bloodletting and “high-noon” showdowns. In this cult classic, Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty, A House of Dynamite) showcases her singular command of tension and atmosphere, fusing brutality with a surprising strain of melancholy and tenderness.

This film accompanies A View from the Vaults: The 1980s.

Past events

Wed, Mar 25, 6:30 p.m.

MoMA, Floor T2, Theater 2

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2
Sun, Mar 15, 2:00 p.m.

MoMA, Floor T1, Theater 1

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 1

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