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 (Sunday 16th November)

11:30

Long Way North PG
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When her beloved explorer grandfather goes missing on a mission to the North Pole, brave teenager Sasha leaves behind her privileged life to search for him. This beautifully animated adventure celebrates courage and the power of family love.

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14:00

About Time 12A
2h 3m
When Tim learns he can travel through time, he uses his gift to find love and meaning. Richard Curtis’s tender romantic comedy, starring Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams, is presented by Music At Oxford as part of their Arvo Part Season.

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16:45

Bugonia 15
1h 58m
Two conspiracy-obsessed cousins kidnap a tech CEO they believe is an alien overlord. Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons star in Yorgos Lanthimos’s darkly comic, unsettling satire about paranoia, misinformation, and the terrifying absurdity of the modern age.

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19:30

The Mastermind 12A
1h 50m
A mild-mannered man steals priceless art from a small-town museum, sparking a quiet crisis of purpose. Josh O’Connor shines in Kelly Reichardt’s wry, slow-burn heist drama set amid 1970s America’s political disillusionment and moral uncertainty.

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Tomorrow (Monday 17th November)

18:00

Relay 15
1h 51m
A solitary fixer protecting whistleblowers is drawn into deadly danger when a biotech scientist seeks her help. Lily James and Riz Ahmed ignite David Mackenzie’s high-stakes conspiracy thriller, a razor-sharp chase through today’s landscape of secrets and surveillance.

Book here

20:30

Bugonia 15
1h 58m
Two conspiracy-obsessed cousins kidnap a tech CEO they believe is an alien overlord. Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons star in Yorgos Lanthimos’s darkly comic, unsettling satire about paranoia, misinformation, and the terrifying absurdity of the modern age.

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!