Get Your Reps In: “Night on Earth” Explores the Relationship Between Taxi Driver and Passenger

Winona Ryder and Gena Rowlands fill out the ensemble cast of Jarmusch’s arthouse dramedy.

Night on Earth (Criterion)
By Mia Vicino

Night on Earth (1991)

Told in a series of vignettes set across five different cities over the course of one night, auteur Jim Jarmusch’s arthouse dramedy explores the universality of the relationship between taxi driver and passenger. Winona Ryder and Gena Rowlands fill out the ensemble cast—their unforgettable sequence is a definite highlight. Clinton, Jan. 7.

The Brood (1979)

One of his earlier works, body horror master David Cronenberg directs this suspenseful tale of a mentally ill housewife (Samantha Eggar) who receives “psychoplasmic” therapy from a controversial psychotherapist (Oliver Reed). After a series of brutal and strange murders, her husband begins to suspect something is awry at the institution. No spoilers, but he’s right! Clinton, Jan. 7.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

Harry’s second adventure ups the deadly danger (and the runtime—161 minutes!) with his and his friends’ discovery of the ominous Chamber of Secrets. This one’s worthwhile for the nightmare-inducing basilisk, Dobby’s freaky little antics, Gilderoy Lockhart’s uselessness, and a weirdly handsome Tom Riddle. Academy, Jan. 7-13.

My Brilliant Career (1979)

In this lovely and underseen Australian period piece, a young writer (Judy Davis) finds her career stifled by her class status, a budding romance (with a dreamy young Sam Neill) and, of course, her being a woman in the year 1897. A perfect companion piece to Greta Gerwig’s Little Women. Clinton, Jan. 8.

Je Tu Il Elle (1974) and Adoption (1975)

The Clinton is killin’ it this week—a Chantal Akerman and Márta Mészáros double feature presented by Reel Feminism! Both released in the mid-’70s and running 86 minutes, these trailblazing French and Hungarian dramas probe the misunderstood lives of aimless, lonely and unfulfilled women. Clinton, Jan. 10.

ALSO PLAYING:

Academy: Escape From New York (1981), Jan. 5-6. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), Jan. 5-6. Waterworld (1995), Jan. 7-13. Clinton: Happy Together (1997), Jan. 5. La Strada (1954), Jan. 6. A Hard Day’s Knight (1964), Jan. 9.

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