Sebastián Silva: An American Cinematheque Retrospective

ABOUT THE SERIES:

The American Cinematheque is thrilled to welcome acclaimed Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Silva in-person for a retrospective celebrating the singular vision displayed throughout his elusive filmography. The retrospective kicks off with ROTTING IN THE SUN and LA NANA, with more films to be added.

His sophomore feature, LA NANA, premiered at Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim, winning the Grand Jury award and making him one of the global filmmakers-to-watch on the international stage. The film examines the nuanced dynamics of how different social classes interact in contemporary Chilean society, with Silva’s empathetic lens permitting a humanist vision of the working class, which is a theme that Silva returns to with FISTFUL OF DIRT, following a young boy who must navigate his family’s financial needs and his mother’s worsening illness.

OLD CATS, the story of an elderly woman facing the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, explores familial bonds, the fleeting nature of memory and the vulnerability of human life. With his most recent work, ROTTING IN THE SUN, Silva creates an amalgamation of genres, with an absurd, darkly comedic meta-thriller that provokes reflections on the intersections between sexuality, class and the ostracization of marginalized identities. Similarly, NASTY BABY reveals the non-traditional complexities in viewing the family structure through the queer experience. LIFE KILLS ME contemplates the interwoven nature of family and circumstance, and how this link affects the individual’s approach to the fragility of existence. Silva’s collaborations with beloved actor Michael Cera, in such films as CRYSTAL FAIRY AND THE MAGICAL CACTUS, MAGIC MAGIC and TYREL, each exemplifies the filmmaker’s versatility and bridges the gap between the tendencies of global cinema and the mainstream audiences of contemporary cinema.