Frances McDormand illuminates Chloé Zhao’s follow up to The Rider, a humane and lyrical film about people living on the road in the American West, based on Jessica Bruder's eponymous book.
Reeling from the death of her beloved husband and the loss of their Nevada home, Fern (McDormand) lives in a van, travelling from town to town and picking up seasonal work.
There is much of Chloé Zhao’s process present in the adaptation. The film is populated with intimate and compassionate studies of real people playing versions of themselves, such as Fern’s compatriots on the road, Linda, Swankie and Bob, as well as a precious community that has grown out of the ruins of the country’s brutal service economy. Zhao’s regular collaborator, cinematographer Joshua James Richards, exquisitely captures the expansive open landscapes of the Western United States.
Alongside them, McDormand delivers an angular, sympathetic portrait of an older woman choosing a life of relative freedom, whatever the pains and challenges that entails.
US 2020 Dir Chloé Zhao 108 min
Booking is essential. Unless or until guidance changes, six people or two households of any size can visit together as a group. Please only sit directly beside someone from your household or support bubble, and avoid moving seats when you arrive, so we can keep social distancing in place between you and other groups.
Before the film, you’re welcome to eat and drink in the Cinema Café area, although the cinema foyer spaces won’t be available at the moment, to allow for social distancing.
Our Parent and Baby screenings are designed for adults to enjoy the latest film releases with their young babies, in a relaxed atmosphere with gentler lighting and sound. Screenings are suitable for babies of 12 months or under. Up to four adults can accompany a baby, but adults without a baby will not be admitted.
We have plenty of dedicated space for you to park your baby buggy. For health and safety reasons, we cannot allow buggies inside the cinemas.
Barbican Cinema has been supported by the Culture Recovery Fund for Independent Cinemas in England which is administered by the BFI, as part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund supporting arts and cultural organisations in England affected by the impact of Covid-19. #HereForCulture.
Booking fees
£1.50 booking fee per online/phone transaction.
No fee when tickets are booked in person.
Booking fees are per transaction and not per ticket. If your booking contains several events the highest booking fee will apply. The booking fee may be reduced on certain events. Members do not pay booking fees.
