Austin Film Society screening of the 1994 Australian film Muriel's Wedding, part of the Essential Cinema series.
AFS Cinema is screening Muriel's Wedding on Tuesday, August 25, and again on Saturday, August 29. It's part of the Austin Film Society's Essential Cinema series, which this time around is titled "Somewhere Else, Always: Restless Women and the City."
Muriel's Wedding is a 1994 Australian coming-of-age film directed by P.J. Hogan and starring Toni Collette. It follows a shy outcast in the tiny town of Porpoise Spit who finds her identity in ABBA songs and sets out for the big city. Critics have called it "the most honest coming-of-age film ever made" and praised its blend of wry humor and social satire. The film runs 1 hour and 46 minutes, and this screening is on 35mm.
There's a bit more to it than just the plot. James Scott has written about the film as rich in queer subtext: despite the titular wedding to a South African swimming star, he reads the movie as being really about the romance between Muriel and her best friend Rhonda, whose love for ABBA and each other proves stronger than compulsive heterosexuality. The AFS itself was founded in 1985 by Richard Linklater to empower the community to make, watch and love film.
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Tickets are $15 for evening shows and $12 for matinees, which are available Monday through Friday for screenings before 5 PM. AFS MAKE and WATCH members get a $4 discount, and it's free for LOVE and Impact Circle members. There are also discounts for AISD educators and local high school and college students at the box office with a valid school ID. The screenings are at 7:30 PM on Tuesday, August 25, and 4:00 PM on Saturday, August 29, at AFS Cinema, 6406 N I-35 Suite 3100, Austin, TX 78752.
