This film is part of Rentals
Chained for Life
Aaron Schimberg’s dextrous, darkly comedic discourse on physical difference makes you think about cinematic representation without offering simple resolutions.
Drama 2018 91 mins
Director: Aaron Schimberg
Overview
Aaron Schimberg’s impressive second feature is his response, as a filmmaker with facial deformity, to cinematic portrayals of disfigured people, from Freaks to The Elephant Man. Simultaneously empathetic and sardonic, Chained for Life’s multi-layered meta narrative casts Jess Weixler (Teeth) as Mabel, a well-intentioned Hollywood star. She takes the role of a blind woman in a hospital-based horror movie about abnormalities, directed by an egomaniacal German auteur. As shooting progresses, Mabel gradually falls for friendly British co-star Rosenthal, played by Under the Skin actor Adam Pearson, who has neurofibromatosis.
Writer-director Schimberg challenges you to think about representation and exploitation whilst refusing to offer up any simplistic answers, while also paying homage to previous film-within-a-film-practitioners from Fassbinder to the Muppets.
discrimination theme, injury detail, nudityAccessibility
Related
Drama
In the Mood for Love In the Mood for Love
Drama 2000 100 mins Director: Wong Kar Wai
Wong’s masterpiece is a heartbreaking story of illicit love that pulses with the ache and agony of repressed desire.
Happy Together Happy Together
Drama 1997 98 mins Director: Wong Kar Wai
A trip to Buenos Aires reveals the dark side of love as a gay couple (Leung and Cheung) struggle with jealousy, co-dependency and possessiveness as their turbulent relationship falls apart.
Chungking Express Chungking Express
Drama 1994 103 mins Director: Wong Kar Wai
Shot off-the-cuff in 23 days, this bright and breezy comedy was Wong’s international breakthrough hit, and it’s not hard to see why.
Fallen Angels Fallen Angels
Drama 1995 99 mins Director: Wong Kar Wai
Stylish drama laced with quirky humour that glimmers with the neon magic of Hong Kong at night.
Days of Being Wild Days of Being Wild
Drama 1990 95 mins Director: Wong Kar Wai
Leslie Cheung gives a magnificent performance as a rakish playboy in the 1960s searching for identity while callously breaking hearts.
The Crowded Day The Crowded Day
Drama 1954 83 mins Director: John Guillermin
Five women's lives intertwine in a bitter-sweet tale of shop-floor intrigue.
American Indie
Support the Girls Support the Girls
Drama 2018 90 mins Director: Andrew Bujalski
Andrew Bujalski serves up a big-hearted comedy with his day-in-the-life look at Double Whammies – a Hooters-style bar and its tight-knit, all-female staff.
Premature Premature
Drama 2019 90 mins Director: Rashaad Ernesto Green
Budding writer Ayanna’s life is transformed over the course of one hot Harlem summer, when a handsome and mysterious stranger walks into her life.
The Peanut Butter Falcon The Peanut Butter Falcon
Comedy 2019 97 mins Director: Michael Schwartz
Effortlessly charming buddy movie about a young man with Down's syndrome (Zack Gottsagen) in pursuit of his dreams, with Shia LaBeouf.
Vivarium Vivarium
Science Fiction 2019 98 mins Director: Lorcan Finnegan
Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg play a pair of first-time buyers who get more than they bargained for in this twisted fable about the horrors of suburban living.
The Assistant The Assistant
Thriller 2019 87 mins Director: Kitty Green
Kitty Green's #MeToo drama is a sobering take on one day in the life of a film company assistant.
Seberg Seberg
Drama 2019 103 mins Director: Benedict Andrews
Kristen Stewart shines as an idealistic yet fragile Jean Seberg in this stylish drama that packs a punch.
New
Synchronic Synchronic
Science Fiction 2019 102 mins Director: Justin Benson
Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan star as a pair of New Orleans paramedics who encounter a series of bizarre deaths linked to a new designer drug with otherworldly effects.
Pride & Protest Pride & Protest
Documentary 2020 90 mins Director: Blaise Singh
The modern face of protest is the focus of this timely and necessary documentary.
In the Mood for Love In the Mood for Love
Drama 2000 100 mins Director: Wong Kar Wai
Wong’s masterpiece is a heartbreaking story of illicit love that pulses with the ache and agony of repressed desire.
Happy Together Happy Together
Drama 1997 98 mins Director: Wong Kar Wai
A trip to Buenos Aires reveals the dark side of love as a gay couple (Leung and Cheung) struggle with jealousy, co-dependency and possessiveness as their turbulent relationship falls apart.
2046 2046
Fantasy 2004 129 mins Director: Wong Kar Wai
A sequel of sorts to In The Mood For Love, 2046 delves into the pain of romantic heartache and the emotional wreckage it leaves behind.
Chungking Express Chungking Express
Drama 1994 103 mins Director: Wong Kar Wai
Shot off-the-cuff in 23 days, this bright and breezy comedy was Wong’s international breakthrough hit, and it’s not hard to see why.