HFC x Letterboxd Presents: Caravaggio at the Elisabet Ney Museum

Presented by Hyperreal Film Club and Letterboxd

Caravaggio is a fictionalized portrait of the subversive titular artist told by an equally subversive director, Derek Jarman.

Set in 17th Century Rome (though not shying away from letting the audience know it was made in the 1980s’) Caravaggio spends his days immortalizing the pariahs and falling for the most unloved members of society. When not toying with his Catholic patrons by making flirtatious and daring depictions of biblical characters, Caravaggio spends his time engaging in baroque romances and partying deep within the catacombs.

This film is possibly Derek Jarman’s most accessible movie as he tended to lean more into arthouse and experimental techniques than following traditional narrative. In a way he used Caravaggio as a stand in for himself, a man who makes beauty about what others would consider blasphemous. Helmed by Nigel Terry, Sean Bean (in his Adonis years), and a first time film star Tilda Swinton, this film is as romantic and dramatic as the chiaroscuro laden works that inspired it. With stunning recreations of his most famous paintings and intentionally anachronistic props and production design, Caravaggio brings art history to life and reminds its viewers that artists have always been interested in pushing boundaries and looking at life in new and seductive ways.

Tickets include free drinks from Guyaki Yerba Mate and Fairweather Cider!

Entertainment by Violinist, Lindsey Peavler

Dress-up encouraged!

Tickets $15-$17
Doors at 7 p.m. // Screening at 8 p.m.
The museum will be open with docent-led tours available until 8 p.m.

Screening support provided by ROCKET CINEMA.