Name: Running on Empty (1988)
Cast: Christine Lahti, River Phoenix, Judd Hirsch, Martha Plimpton, Jonas Abry

Hoezo in KINO

“Get on the bike. You’re on your own, kid. I want you to go to Juilliard.” This deeply moving drama about a family of four on the run from the law for over fourteen years showcases Lumet’s deep empathy for the characters in his films. River Phoenix is perfectly cast as the oldest child reaching semi-adulthood and dreaming to enter the real world armed with his talent for the piano but kept back by his parent’s dark past. Lumet finds the urgency of the family’s predicament in the mundane – an encounter around the piano or the dinner table – and conveys these with the utmost care. Another low key masterpiece by Lumet, here to be (re)discovered. English language without subtitles.

Credits

Regie: Sidney Lumet
Cast: Christine Lahti, River Phoenix, Judd Hirsch, Martha Plimpton, Jonas Abry
Genre: Drama
Speelduur: 116 minuten
Land: VS
Taal: Engels
Ondertiteling: Geen

Storyline

Arthur Pope (Judd Hirsch) and his wife, Annie (Christine Lahti), are fugitives, perpetually on the run from federal authorities due to their antiwar activity during the 1960s. The couple moves around the country with their two sons — young Harry (Jonas Abry) and his older teenage brother, Danny (River Phoenix). On the verge of adulthood, Danny longs to set out on his own and live a more stable life, but he knows this could mean permanent separation from his family.

KINO presents: The Outsider: The Films of Sidney Lumet

KINO is proud to present a retrospective on the features of writer and director Sidney Lumet. The versatile filmmaker worked mainly outside of the Hollywood machine but always secured the greatest talent in front of his camera as his reputation as an ‘actor’s director’ secured no less than seventeen Oscar nominations for his leads. His beloved New York City was often not only a geographical setting but a vital asset in his films as he explored the metropole from its classiest office buildings to its seediest back alleys. Unlike for instance Coppola or Scorsese, Lumet’s oeuvre is less distinctive in style as he always adapted his artistic choices to serve the story, not to his own visual preferences. But he is one of the great humanist directors with a fantastic catalogue waiting to be explored and we are proud to present his biggest hits as well as his lesser known films in this thirteen feature retrospective.