The Way Things Seem and the Way They Are

With a restoration of ’Picnic at Hanging Rock’ in the cinema this season, this talk will look back at the career of its astonishingly versatile director.

Sat 29 Mar 10:30 (Auditorium)

Returning to the big screen this February to celebrate its 50th anniversary in a dazzling 4K restoration, Peter Weir’s adaptation of Joan Lindsay’s novel has lost none of its mystique or mesmerising power.

In the early 1900s, Miranda (Anne Lambert) attends a girl’s boarding school in Australia. One Valentine's Day, the school's typically strict headmistress (Rachel Roberts) treats the girls to a picnic field trip to an unusual but scenic volcanic formation called Hanging Rock. Despite rules against it, Miranda and several other girls venture off. It's not until the end of the day that the faculty realizes the girls and one of the teachers (Vivean Gray) have disappeared mysteriously. A significant influence on the work of Sofia Coppola, ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ has become a landmark for its dreamlike exploration of the intensely romantic, yet profoundly unsettling, experience of girlhood and burgeoning sexuality.

Australia 1975 Peter Weir 107m

NT Live

Steve Coogan plays four roles in the world premiere stage adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s comedy masterpiece.

Thu 27 Mar 19:30

Sat 28 Mar 15:15

Quand Vient l'Automne

Michelle, a retiree in Burgundy, is expecting her grandson, but a mistake ruins her plans. When her friend Marie-Claude's son is released from prison, Michelle's purpose is revived.

Michelle (Hélène Vincent) is enjoying a peaceful retirement in a Burgundy village, close to her longtime friend Marie-Claude (Josiane Balasko). When her Parisian daughter Valérie (Ludivine Sagnier) drops off her son Lucas (Garlan Erlos) to spend school vacation with his grandma, Michelle, stressed out by her daughter, serves her toxic mushrooms for lunch. Valérie quickly recovers, but forbids her mother from seeing her grandson anymore. Feeling lonely and guilty, Michelle falls into a depression... until Marie-Claude's son Vincent (Pierre Lottin) gets out of prison. This film is a gift of a showcase for Hélène Vincent - she is magnetic. But nobody is exactly who they appear in Ozon’s nimble, perceptive film. When winter and mortality are beckoning, the past only counts for so much. (Subtitles)

France 2024 François Ozon 102m

When an intelligence agent is suspected of betraying the nation, her husband - also a legendary agent - faces the ultimate test of whether to be loyal to his marriage, or his country.

A gripping spy drama about legendary intelligence agents George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) and his beloved wife Kathryn (Cate Blanchett). When she is suspected of betraying the nation, George faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country.

Steven Soderbergh (‘Traffic’, ‘Erin Brockovich’) directs a brilliant cast that also includes Pierce Brosnan, Tom Burke and Naomie Harris.

USA 2025 Steven Soderbergh 93m