The Believer presents THE WOLF KNIFE

Monday, April 9, 2012

In honor of the release of its new film issue, The Believer presents a special screening of Laurel Nakadate’s acclaimed indie feature THE WOLF KNIFE, the story of two 16-year-old girls and four summer days during which their friendship falls apart over lies, obsession, jealousy, and love.

The screening is followed by an on-stage conversation between Nakadate and the novelist Rick Moody (The Ice Storm). All ticketholders receive a copy of the magazine’s new film issue, which includes a DVD of the film.

“By the time Laurel Nakadate’s THE WOLF KNIFE premiered, in 2010, Nakadate was already known as one of the most provocative and ambitious video artists in New York,” writes Deb Olin Unferth in an introduction to the film in The Believer. “Her fearless short films of unglamorous, middle-aged bachelors and the youthful filmmaker herself dancing to Britney Spears, stripping, or singing over a birthday cake, were ‘incredibly twisted,’ as Jerry Saltz put it in the Village Voice. THE WOLF KNIFE, Nakadate’s second feature film, is the daughter of this early work, and inspires similar creepy feelings about desire, domination, and voyeurism. It is also a significant artistic leap forward. Unsurprisingly, the film received nominations for an Independent Spirit Award and a Gotham Independent Film Award for ‘Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You’….  Variety called her ‘an interesting, infuriating artist’ and wondered whether many people would be ‘willing to withstand what she has to say,’ but then grudgingly admitted the film was worthy of respect. At the very least, one might call the film ‘uncomfortable.’ Or one might dub it, as the New Yorker did, ‘a neorealist version of a Lynchian nightmare.'”

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.