The Birthday
The Lost Rider: A Chronicle of Hollywood Sacrifice
January 5 - 14, 2023
Part comedy of manners by way of Jerry Lewis, part phantasmagorical head trip, The Birthday is weirdo-horror of the highest order and peers straight into a traumatized headspace of relationship neuroses.
Join Eugenio Mira and Corey Feldman in person on Jan. 13 for Q&A at 6:30pm screening & intro at 9:15pm screening
Part comedy of manners by way of Jerry Lewis, part phantasmagorical head trip, Eugenio Mira’s debut has garnered cult status in the years since its premiere at Sitges in 2004, in part for never getting an official home video release or U.S. theatrical premiere—that is, until this January at Film at Lincoln Center. Set in a ruby-red Art Deco hotel in 1987, The Birthday follow hapless protagonist Norman Forrester (Corey Feldman)—whose accent might suggest Brooklyn, New York, but is actually Brooklyn, Baltimore—as he navigates an inhospitable birthday celebration for his scolding girlfriend’s wealthy father (cult icon Jack Taylor) and struggles with the anxieties of his deteriorating romance. The atmosphere turns from tensely awkward to downright sinister as the party wears on, leading Norman to uncover an unimaginable conspiracy implicating the partygoers and staff. With its painstakingly fabricated set design, kinetic camerawork, and bonkers performances, The Birthday is weirdo-horror of the highest order and peers straight into a traumatized headspace of relationship neuroses.
“A cinematic marvel that demands captivation and will never relent to your expectations. A true ‘what-the-fuck-did-I-just-watch’ experience. Feldman at his best.” —Jordan Peele
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