Pink Floyd: The Wall

Friday, July 4 - Saturday, July 12, 2025

SHOWTIMES AT IFC CENTER

A confined but troubled rock star descends into madness in the midst of his physical and social isolation from everyone.

“‘When I was a child, I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye
I turned to look, but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown, the dream is gone
I have become comfortably numb’

When I think of what Pink Floyd: The Wall means to me, I think back to a road trip that was largely scored to the 1979 rock opera. We were barreling down the 17 upstate, I was in the passenger seat. In the driver’s was a friend of mine who had grown up in Thatcher’s England. For the first half of the record, he’d been telling me about what it was like to be my age, about 18, in an 80’s England. Striking Miners. New wave. Floyd. Like the 70s, but with more rioting.

At one point, he began to recount a story about the Poll Tax Riots of 1990-91. I knew that regardless of what the story was, I was never going to forget it, since we’d reachedDisc 2, Track 6 of The Wall—“Comfortably Numb”. Perhaps it was just my American ear noticing the kitschy congruence of an Englishman talk of protests over perhaps the greatest existential protest album ever conceived. But hearing firsthand what it was like to fight the very same fascistic powers that Roger Waters explored in The Wall was rather unforgettable.

My friend talked of an alleyway, about four people wide. The police had just shown up at the other end, in riot gear. A gentleman next to him said, “They’re going to charge any second, I’ve been to a bunch of these”, and he advised against running from the police. When they charge, it’s best to walk instead. When you run, you trip, and that’s when they’ll hit you on the head with a baton, he said.

People had begun throwing rocks and glasses, and tensions were high. Behind him, he said, there was a group of protestors with a pneumatic road drill, tearing up the street. They were drilling a hole in the road to plant a tree. Everyone was trying to ward off the police so these people could get this tree in the ground and “reclaim the streets”. Eventually, the police charged and started beating everybody who didn’t vacate the alley.

I think of this story when I listen to Pink Floyd, particularly this album. I think about what it means to keep your mind in the face of authoritarianism and censorship. I think about the spirit of creative freedom, and of protest. And I hope that anyone coming to this film thinks about those things too.”– Staff Pick by Callan Reimann, usher

Screening as part of our Staff Picks 2025 series

  • Country UK
  • Year 1982
  • Running Time 95 minutes
  • Format DCP
  • Distributor Warner Brothers
  • Director Alan Parker
  • Cast Bob Geldof, Christine Hargreaves, James Laurenson
  • Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

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.