The Story of Looking15

Directed by Mark Cousins | UK | 2021 | 1h 30m | Starring Mark Cousins

As filmmaker and author Mark Cousins prepares for surgery to repair and restore his failing eyesight, he begins to consider the role that looking plays in his life – and what life might be like without it. In this deeply personal documentary, Cousins guides us through the riches of the visible world, presenting a kaleidoscope of extraordinary imagery exploring what it means to look at movies and the world around us.

Reviews

‘A treasure trove of insight about what it means to look – really look – at the world about us, and at art and movies, and not to take any of it for granted.’
★★★★★ Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

‘Fascinating, thought-provoking stuff, told in Cousins’ engaging, typically impish way’
★★★★ Ian Freer, Empire Magazine

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed The Story of Looking between October 30, 2021 and November 5, 2021.

Join our mailing list and we'll make sure you always know what's on and when.

What else is on?

Today (Monday 1st September)

18:15

Hedwig and the Angry Inch 15
1h 32m
John Cameron Mitchell’s electrifying rock musical follows Hedwig, a punk diva with a complicated past, chasing artistic recognition. Mixing raw emotion, surreal visuals, and soaring songs, it remains a vibrant cult classic about identity and self-expression.

Book here

20:30

Weapons 18
Deaf/HOH Subtitles
2h 8m
From Barbarian’s Zack Cregger comes a chilling mystery: an entire classroom’s children vanish in an instant, except one. As fear consumes a small town, social norms unravel in this tense, thought-provoking thriller about mob mentality and collective paranoia.

Book here


Tomorrow (Tuesday 2nd September)

18:00

The Kingdom 15
£6 for Members
1h 51m | Corsican & French w/ English subtitles
In 1995 Corsica, a teen is forced into hiding with her fugitive mob-boss father. After an assassination attempt, they’re thrust into a brutal revenge cycle. Julien Colonna’s award-nominated debut blends tense crime thriller with coming-of-age drama.

Book here

20:30

Hedwig and the Angry Inch 15
£6 for Members / + Intro
1h 32m
John Cameron Mitchell’s electrifying rock musical follows Hedwig, a punk diva with a complicated past, chasing artistic recognition. Mixing raw emotion, surreal visuals, and soaring songs, it remains a vibrant cult classic about identity and self-expression.

Book here


Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road. We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don't be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!