TRUE STORIES

Showings

THEATER 1 Fri, Sep 29, 2023 8:45 PM
THEATER 1 Thu, Oct 12, 2023 8:30 PM
Film Info
Runtime:89
Release Year:1986
Production Country:USA
Original Language:English
Cast/Crew Info
Director:David Byrne
Cast:John Goodman
Annie McEnroe
Jo Harvey Allen
Spalding Gray
Alix Elias
Screenwriter:Stephen Tobolowsky
David Byrne
Beth Henley

Description

When Byrne directed TRUE STORIES, he was already a huge star as the frontman for Talking Heads. He’s gone on to direct music videos, short films, and documentaries, but TRUE STORIES stands out not just as the only feature narrative he’s ever directed, but also as a delightfully strange film that feels possible only with Byrne at the helm. Byrne stars as a cowboy-hat-wearing narrator who journeys through a series of vignettes “about a bunch of people in Virgil Texas,” including lovesick singer Louis Fyne (John Goodman) and the bedridden Miss Rollings (Swoosie Kurtz), all preparing for the 150th anniversary of Texas, deemed the “Celebration of Specialness.” A musical patchwork of good natured weirdness, TRUE STORIES, while not a commercial success at the time of its release, was embraced by critics, including Roger Ebert, who called the film “a bold attempt to paint a bizarre American landscape.” That Byrne attempted no other feature narrative film seems fitting, as TRUE STORIES feels like a perfect, particular chapter in his boundless career.