Naked Lunch - The Ultimate Picture Palace

Naked Lunch18

Directed by David Cronenberg | Canada | 1991 | 1h 55m (+ 20min short film) | Starring Peter Weller, Judy Davis, Ian Holm, Julian Sands, Roy Scheider, Monique Mercure

Bug exterminator Bill Lee discovers that the insecticide he uses has potent hallucinogenic effects. After becoming deeply addicted, Bill descends into the nightmarish Interzone, a bizarre underworld filled with sinister government conspiracies and giant, talking insects. Equal parts darkly humorous and grotesque, cult filmmaker David Cronenberg (The Fly, Videodrome, Crash) brings to life this surreal adaptation of William S. Burroughs’ hallucinatory novel, once considered impossible to film.

Naked Lunch will be preceded by a special presentation of Kōji Yamamura’s short film Franz Kafka’s A Country Doctor (2007).

Kafkaesque Klassics

Reviews

‘Obviously this is not everybody’s cup of weird tea: you must have a taste for the aesthetics of disgust. For those up to the dare, it’s one clammily compelling movie.’
David Ansen, Newsweek

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Naked Lunch between October 21, 2024 and October 25, 2024.

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What else is on?

Today (Thursday 9th April)

15:00

Hamnet 12A

Descriptive Subtitles

2h 6m

Shakespeare and his wife endure the devastating loss of their young son, straining love and family bonds. Chloé Zhao’s (Nomadland) poignant adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel captures grief, creativity, and resilience, with moving performances by Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal.

18:00

Mon Oncle U

1h 56m | French w/ English subtitles

Monsieur Hulot adores his quirky city apartment and struggles with his sister’s ultra-modern suburban life. In Jacques Tati’s first colour film, Hulot’s charming misadventures satirise modern living and earned Tati the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film.

20:45

The Love That Remains 15

1h 49m | Icelandic w/ English subtitles

Anna and Magnús raise three children in rural Iceland, but cracks in their marriage begin to appear. Acclaimed director Hlynur Pálmason (Godland) crafts a warm and quietly humorous portrait of family life unfolding across seasons of the vast Icelandic landscape.

Tomorrow (Friday 10th April)

14:45

La Grazia 12A

2h 13m | Italian w/ English subtitles

As the end of his presidency approaches, Italian leader Mariano De Santis faces difficult political and personal choices. Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty) directs a sweeping drama about power and freedom, featuring Toni Servillo in an award-winning performance.

17:45

Sentimental Value 15

2h 13m | Norwegian w/ English subtitles

Actress Nora confronts her estranged father, a famed director preparing a comeback, and reconnects with her sister. Old tensions and new ambitions collide, forcing them to face their past. Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning star in Joachim Trier’s (The Worst Person in the World) emotionally rich story of reconciliation.

20:45

The Good Boy 15

1h 50m

Tommy, a reckless nineteen-year-old, is abducted after a night of drugs and partying and wakes imprisoned in a remote Yorkshire basement. Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough star in this fresh, unsettlingly twisted thriller.

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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 only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!