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 16th October)
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12:30

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale PG
Parent + Baby screening
2h 4m
Scandal and financial ruin threaten the Crawleys at the dawn of the 1930s. With reputations at stake, the family and staff brace for sweeping societal change. Paul Giamatti and Dominic West join this heartfelt farewell to Julian Fellowes’s beloved saga.

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16:00

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues 15
1h 24m
The world’s loudest band reunites after 15 years for one last concert. Will it be a triumphant comeback, or another Stonehenge-sized disaster? The original cast returns, joined by music legends Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Questlove, and more.

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18:00

Happyend 12A
1h 53m | Japanese with English subtitles
Two rebellious teens in near-future Tokyo spark a surveillance crackdown after a prank. As politics darken and friendships strain, freedom itself hangs in the balance. Neo Sora’s bold fictional debut crackles with youthful resistance.

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Tomorrow (Friday 17th October)
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16:00

Dead of Winter 15
1h 38m
Lost in a Minnesota blizzard, a grieving widow finds shelter in a cabin, only to uncover a deadly hostage crisis. Oscar-winner Emma Thompson stars in this snowbound survival thriller where brutality collides with an unexpected love story.

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18:15

Urchin 15
1h 39m
Harris Dickinson’s directorial debut follows a homeless Londoner battling addiction. With humour and compassion, this raw portrait explores alienation, resilience, and the struggle to find belonging within unforgiving social structures.

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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!

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