Defending Your LifePG

Directed by Albert Brooks | USA | 1991 | 1h 51m | Starring Starring Albert Brooks, Meryl Streep, Rip Torn, Michael Durrell, James Eckhouse

An acerbic LA advertising executive dies in a car accident and is sent to Judgement City, a purgatory where he must defend his actions on Earth in order to ascend to a higher plane of existence. Albert Brooks finds a perfect balance between satirical bite and romantic-comedy charm as the writer, director, and star of this wonderfully imaginative existential fantasy.

Our screening on Friday 1 July will be introduced by comedian Matthew Chadourne, part of the Oxford Comedy Festival.

Reviews

‘The movie is funny in a warm, fuzzy way, and it has a splendidly satisfactory ending, which is unusual for an Albert Brooks film.’
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Defending Your Life between July 1, 2022 and July 4, 2022.

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What else is on?

Tomorrow (Sunday 25th May)

15:00

Mirror U
+ Intro
1h 47m | Russian w/ English subtitles
Tarkovsky’s dreamlike, deeply personal masterpiece exploring memory, identity, and Soviet life. Through poetic imagery and nonlinear storytelling, a dying man revisits childhood, war, and family in a haunting reflection on time. A landmark of world cinema.

Book here

17:30

Riefenstahl 15
1h 55m | German w/ English subtitles
A complex portrait of pioneering filmmaker and Nazi propagandist, Leni Riefenstahl. This critical documentary interrogates her legacy, exploring the enduring tension between artistry, denial, and complicity in the darkest chapter of cinema history.

Book here

20:00

Two to One 12A
1h 55m | German w/ English subtitles
A hilarious race against time begins when a family finds old East German cash just as it’s losing value. Sandra Hüller stars in this warm-hearted comedy about capitalism, community, and socialist values colliding with newfound consumerist freedom.

Book here


Monday 26th May

15:45

The Wedding Banquet 15
1h 43m
A green-card marriage plan goes off the rails when a gay man's grandmother unexpectedly arrives in America expecting a traditional Korean wedding. This vibrant remake of Ang Lee’s classic celebrates queer love, family chaos, and cultural identity.

Book here

18:15

Mirror U
1h 47m | Russian w/ English subtitles
Tarkovsky’s dreamlike, deeply personal masterpiece exploring memory, identity, and Soviet life. Through poetic imagery and nonlinear storytelling, a dying man revisits childhood, war, and family in a haunting reflection on time. A landmark of world cinema.

Book here

20:45

The Surfer 15
1h 40m
A father-son surfing trip spirals into paranoia and humiliation when a local conflict escalates dangerously. Nicolas Cage stars in this sun-scorched, hallucinatory thriller blending psychological tension with the anarchic spirit of Ozploitation classics.

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!