David Cronenberg”s “A Dangerous Method,” starring Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender, and the Pedro Almodovar-Antonio Banderas reunion film, “The Skin I Live In,” will both be featured as special gala screenings at the upcoming 49th New York Film Festival.
“A Dangerous Method,” adapted by Christopher Hampton from his play “The Talking Cure,” will screen at Alice Tully Hall on Wednesday, October 5. The film centers on the rollercoaster relationship between pioneering pshycoanalysts Carl Jung (Fassbender) and Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and their mutual lover played by Knightley. The drama also stars Vincent Cassel and Sarah Gordon, and will be released November 23.
On October 12, Pedro Almodóvar”s “The Skin I Live In” will screen. The film reunites Almodovar with Banderas, the star of many of the auteur’s earlier films, after twenty years. In the thriller, a famous plastic surgeon (Banderas), determined to advance his field, experiments on the skin of a beautiful young woman (Elena Anaya) imprisoned in his mansion. It will be released October 14.
Both films are generating early buzz (“Skin” premiered at Cannes, while “Method” is being unveiled at Venice) and should figure into this fall’s Oscar race.
“We”re delighted to be welcoming David Cronenberg to the festival for the first time and to be welcoming back one of the NYFF”s closest friends, Pedro Almodovar,” said Lincoln Center’s Richard Peña in a release. “It”s a special pleasure to introduce our audiences to exciting new work by two of contemporary cinema”s most challenging artists.”
Rose Kuo, Executive Director, The Film Society of Lincoln Center, said, “This year has seen a great deal of growth for us with the opening of our new Film Center and we are thrilled to continue that expansion at this year”s NYFF. We will be offering more screenings, panels, and family events as well as these two new marquee nights that feature highly anticipated fall films.”
The fest runs September 30 – October 16. Tickets will be available starting September 12 here.