Dogfight

Directed by Nancy Savoca | 94 minutes | M | 35th Premiere |

1:30pm Friday, 15 May | Balam Balam Place - Cinema 1 | Buy Tickets | Buy Passes

Nancy Savoca's underrated River Phoenix/Lili Taylor romance predates Before Sunrise with a '60s San Francisco backdrop

Co-Presented by RMIT Cinematic Collective

A bittersweet romance following one of four Marines (River Phoenix) enjoying San Francisco on their last night before being shipped off to Vietnam (in 1963, on the night before President Kennedy is assassinated). They plan to attend a “dogfight” party, where each marine competes to bring the ugliest date. After Phoenix encounters a shy and reluctant girl (Lili Taylor) in a coffee shop, she becomes his unwitting victim, only gradually realising that their “date” is not what it appears.

The second film from Nancy Savoca is a revealing and cathartic emotional ride. Phoenix provides a rich, nuanced and under-rated performance for his short-lived career, perfectly assisted by Lili Taylor. The film is populated by potent scenes of stength and human's capacity for change.

SIMILAR: In The Company of Men, Dirty Dancing, Dinner for Schmucks

"[Directed and written] with great care and love" - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

"A stellar, singular example of 1960s nostalgia filtered through an early-’90s American independent filmmaking mindset" - Derek Smith, Slant Magazine

Country: United States
Year: 1991
Language: English