We’re days away from September, nights getting darker earlier, cooler. What better time to settle down in front of your television and watch some great unique films. Global streaming service MUBI have that selection which next month will be ‘dark, erotic and spiritual‘.
MUBI in September will have a fun, meta comedy from Sundance, Rotting In The Sun. Power and sexual tension explored in a series of erotic thrillers that include Bound. Plus Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Abel Ferrara and Werner Herzog, much more…
MUBI RELEASES: ROTTING IN THE SUN
Chilean writer-director Sebastián Silva hilariously turns the camera on himself in the Sundance hit Rotting in the Sun (2023), his fresh and fun meta-comedy that skewers the business of filmmaking and our self-obsessed culture.
Depressed, doom-scrolling and downing absurd amounts of Ketamine, director Sebastián Silva takes a much-needed break from Mexico City to unwind at a gay beach town. There, he encounters gregarious Instagram influencer Jordan Firstman (playing himself), and Sebastián reluctantly agrees to collaborate on an upcoming project. But, when Jordan arrives in Mexico City to get to work on their project, Sebastián is nowhere to be found and his skittish housekeeper Señora Vero (Catalina Saavedra) seems to know more than she’s letting on.
Rotting in the Sun (Sebastián Silva, 2023) – 15th September
SPOTLIGHT ON SEBASTIÁN SILVA
A darling on the international indie scene, Chilean director Sebastián Silva made a name for himself through a series of critically acclaimed satires containing a distinctive blend of dark comedy and critique. Our Spotlight on Sebastián Silva highlights his self-referential, self-mocking, explosive comedies, each film moving into more outrageous, unhinged and ambitious territory.
Life Kills Me (Sebastián Silva, 2007) – 15th September
Crystal Fairy & The Magical Cactus (Sebastián Silva, 2013) – 15th September
Nasty Baby (Sebastián Silva, 2015) – 15th September
BOUND BY DESIRE: EROTIC THRILLERS
Combining elements of sensuality, sexual tension, and suspenseful storytelling, the erotic thriller subgenre has blurred the lines between danger and desire ever since it gained prominence in the 1980s. Within this focus, we bring the neo-noir crime thriller Bound (1996), which sees a passionate love affair develop whilst navigating a web of deceit. Adrian Lyne’s Unfaithful (2002) explores similar themes of infidelity and emotional turmoil when Connie’s life spirals out of control after she engages in an illicit affair. Rounding off this focus is Brian De Palma’s Passion (2012), which explores themes of power, desire and psychological manipulation when tensions rise among two colleagues at an advertising agency.
Bound (Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, 1996) – 8th September
Passion (Brian De Palma, 2012) – 8th September
Unfaithful (Adrian Lyne, 2002) – 8th September
TO SLEEP SO AS TO DREAM: THREE FILMS BY APICHATPONG WEERASETHAKUL
The cinema of the great Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul haunts liminal, transitional spaces where spiritual borders are as permeable as those between consciousness and dreams. It’s a fascination made literal in Cemetery of Splendour (2015), in which ancient spirits cross into the modern world and a group of soldiers are struck down by a mysterious sleeping sickness. Also featuring in this special triple bill is the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winner, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010), which weaves together the story of a man facing his own mortality with supernatural elements and the unique and experimental, Mekong Hotel (2012).
Mekong Hotel (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2012) – 13th September
Cemetery of Splendour (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2015) – 19th September
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2010) –30th September
IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME: FILMS BY TERENCE DAVIES
Celebrated as one of Britain’s greatest living filmmakers, Terence Davies has crafted enthralling lyrical reveries of memories lost and found, where the past is more achingly alive than the present. Casting a sympathetic eye to outsiders, Davies’ films are sensitive to the values of community and familial relationships, as well as the healing power of popular music and cinema. This September we bring Davies’ poignant exploration of family dynamics and memory Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988), along with the New York period drama starring Gillian Anderson, The House of Mirth (2000) and Davies’ personal documentary exploring his hometown, Liverpool, Of Time and The City (2008).
Distant Voices, Still Lives (Terence Davies, 1988) – 3rd September
The House of Mirth (Terence Davies, 2000) – 3rd September
Of Time and The City (Terence Davies, 2008) – Now Showing
ABEL FERRARA: A DOUBLE BILL
Celebrated for his unconventional anti-heroes, American filmmaker Abel Ferrara started his career shooting pornographic and slasher films and has since gained a reputation for creating raw and gritty films. While his work has sometimes courted controversy, his distinctive cinematic voice has also earned him recognition and a dedicated following. Often addressing themes of human nature, morality, and personal struggles, China Girl (1987) and Tommaso (2019) stay true to this and depict his exploration of characters dealing with cultural clashes and internal conflicts.
China Girl (Abel Ferrara, 1987) – 22nd September
Tommaso (Abel Ferrara, 2019) – 23rd September
SHORT FILMS BIG NAMES
In the Wild West, three cowboys capture a mysterious, well-dressed Frenchman who introduces himself through food and poetry. This collision of cultures, stormy at first, paves way to a joyful bonfire evening.
The Cowboy and the Frenchman (1988) is a surreal and light-hearted comedy from legendary director David Lynch, predating the pilot of Twin Peaks. Cheerful and good-humoured in its funny commentary on stereotypes both of France and the American Wild West, the short stars Harry Dean Stanton as a deaf cowboy and Jack Nance as his friend.
The Cowboy and the Frenchman (David Lynch, 1988) – 20th September
PERFORMERS WE LOVE: VICKY KRIEPS
Since the mid-2010s, Vicky Krieps has become an indelible, irresistible screen presence performing womanhood with a singular kind of unkempt grace. Whether her character is suffocated by a tightly-laced corset or just plain old domesticity, Performers We Love: Vicky Krieps shows the polyglot actress come alive in battles with convention, liberating her characters to be achingly fragile and resilient all at once.
The Chambermaid Lynn (Igor Haeb, 2014) – 7th September
Bergman Island (Mia Hansen-Løve, 2021) – Now Streaming
Hold Me Tight (Mathieu Amalric, 2021) – Now Streaming
Corsage (Marie Kreutzer, 2022) – Now Streaming
WERNER HERZOG: ECSTATIC TRUTHS
Continuing this September is our very special focus on Werner Herzog, Werner Herzog: Ecstatic Truths. Endlessly versatile, there are few stones Herzog has left unturned — whether moving between documentary and fictional modes or boldly experimenting with the potential of genres like science-fiction and thriller. From the deepest jungles to the American heartland, these films demand physically involved performances from a talented, often recurring, cast of actors. Committed to a relentless pursuit of the “ecstatic truth” of art, Herzog’s films are inspired by a roving spirit of adventure and exploration that pushes at the very limits of human experience.
Stroszek (Werner Herzog, 1977) – 5th September
Nosferatu, The Vampyre (Werner Herzog, 1979) – 5th September
Fitzcarraldo (Werner Herzog, 1982) – 5th September
Cobra Verde (Werner Herzog, 1987) – 5th September
Invincible (Werner Herzog, 2001) – 5th September
Family Romance, LCC (Werner Herzog, 2019) – 5th September
MUBI UK & IRELAND SEPTEMBER 2023
01/09/2023 | The Immigrant | James Gray
02/09/2023 | Vivarium | Lorcan Finnegan
03/09/2023 | Distant Voices, Still Lives | Terence Davies | In Search of Lost Time: Films by Terence Davies
03/09/2023 | The House of Mirth | Terence Davies | In Search of Lost Time: Films by Terence Davies
05/09/2023 | Fitzcarraldo | Werner Herzog | Werner Herzog: Ecstatic Truths
05/09/2023 | Stroszek | Werner Herzog | Werner Herzog: Ecstatic Truths
05/09/2023 | Invincible | Werner Herzog | Werner Herzog: Ecstatic Truths
05/09/2023 | Cobra Verde | Werner Herzog | Werner Herzog: Ecstatic Truths
05/09/2023 | Nosferatu the Vampyre | Werner Herzog | Werner Herzog: Ecstatic Truths
05/09/2023 | Family Romance, LLC | Werner Herzog | Werner Herzog: Ecstatic Truths
07/09/2023 | The Chambermaid Lynn | Ingo Haeb
08/09/2023 | Unfaithful | Adrian Lyne | Bound by Desire: Erotic Thrillers
08/09/2023 | Passion | Brian De Palma | Bound by Desire: Erotic Thrillers
08/09/2023 | Bound | Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski | Bound by Desire: Erotic Thrillers
12/09/2023 | The Goob | Guy Myhill
13/09/2023 | Mekong Hotel | Apichatpong Weerasethakul | To Sleep So as to Dream: Three Films by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
15/09/2023 | Life Kills Me | Sebastián Silva | Spotlight on Sebastián Silva
15/09/2023 | Nasty Baby | Sebastián Silva | Spotlight on Sebastián Silva
15/09/2023 | Rotting in the Sun | Sebastián Silva | Spotlight on Sebastián Silva
17/09/2023 | Two Lovers | James Gray
19/09/2023 | Cemetery of Splendour | Apichatpong Weerasethakul | To Sleep So as to Dream: Three Films by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
20/09/2023 | Olivia | Jacqueline Audry | Boarding School
20/09/2023 | The Cowboy and the Frenchman | David Lynch | Short Films Big Names
22/09/2023 | China Girl | Abel Ferrara | Abel Ferrara: A Double Bill
20/09/2023 | Innocence | Lucile Hadžihalilović | Boarding School
23/09/2023 | Tomasso | Abel Ferrara | Abel Ferrara: A Double Bill
26/09/2023 | Khrustalyov, My Car! | Aleksei German
27/09/2023 | Nothing Sacred | William A. Wellman
30/09/2023 | Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives | Apichatpong Weerasethakul | To Sleep So as to Dream: Three Films by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
