The Golden Boat. 1990. USA. Directed by Raul Ruiz. 83 min.
Screenplay by Ruiz, Federico Muchnik. With Muchnik, Michael Kirby, Kate Valk, Kathy Acker, Jim Jarmusch. Chilean cinema’s great absurdist, Raul Ruiz transforms the No-Wave scene of still-seedy, early 1990s downtown New York into a noirish Mexican telenovela involving artists, rock critics, overwrought actors, dime-store philosophers, and a mysterious knife-wielding stranger. A Who’s Who of indie cinema—including producers James Schamus, Scott Macaulay, and Jordi Torrent, and assistant director Christine Vachon—join us to discuss the making of Ruiz’s deadpan caper, which features actors from the Wooster Group and Squat Theater; cameos by Jim and Tom Jarmusch, Acker, Annie Sprinkle, and Vito Acconci; and a saxophone score by John Zorn. Digital preservation courtesy Symbolic Exchange/Strand Releasing.