The Man Who Wasn’t There

Friday, August 14 - Saturday, August 15, 2009

A brilliantly photographed black-and-white absurdist noir set in Santa Rosa, California, in 1949. Ed Crane (the outstanding Billy Bob Thornton) is a slow-moving, barely talking barber who doesn’t seem to want much out of life. He has virtually no relationship with his wife, Doris (Frances McDormand), who has more fun with her boss, Big Dave (James Gandolfini). But when a strange character (Jon Polito) lets it be known that he’s looking for a silent partner to finance his dream business (something he calls dry cleaning), Ed sees a possible way out of his doldrums. Part of the series “The Coen Brothers,” playing select weekends at midnights, July 24-September 12, 2009 in our ongoing Waverly Midnights program.

  • Country USA
  • Language English
  • Rating R
  • Year 2001
  • Running Time 116 minutes
  • Distributor Focus Features
  • Director Joel Coen
  • Cast Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, James Gandolfini, Scarlett Johansson, Richard Jenkins

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.