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.

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What else is on?

Today (Tuesday 7th April)

17:15

Resurrection 15
£6 for Members
2h 36m | Mandarin w/ English subtitles
In a future where humanity cannot dream, one being secretly still can. When a woman discovers him she enters his dreamworld, beginning a shape-shifting journey through cinema, memory, and time in Bi Gan’s visually dazzling, mind-bending fantasy.

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20:45

The Love That Remains 15
£6 for Members
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.

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Tomorrow (Wednesday 8th April)

15:30

Midwinter Break 12A
1h 30m
Long-married couple Stella and Gerry holiday in Amsterdam when buried tensions surface, forcing them to confront their past and uncertain future. Starring Lesley Manville and Ciarán Hinds, Polly Findlay’s debut adapts Bernard MacLaverty’s novel into a moving meditation on love.

Book here

17:45

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.

Book here

20:30

Empire Records 12A
1h 30m
Damn the man! Save The Empire! When Lucas discovers his record store will be sold to corporate chain Music Town, he gambles the day’s takings in Atlantic City to save it. This cult 1990s comedy celebrates misfits, music, and the spirit of independent record stores.

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 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!