POP UP CINEMA BRIGHTON

White Wall Cinema x It Is Still 1985 presents

​​​THURSDAY MAY 21ST

HEARTBREAKERS
(1984)
 NEW 2K RESTORATION 

DIRECTOR: Bobby Roth

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STARRING: Peter Coyote, Nick Mancuso, Carole Laure, Max Gail, Carol Wayne, & Kathryn Harrold.​

*** PLEASE NOTE DOORS OPEN AT 7.30PM SO YOU CAN ENJOY OUR BEER GARDEN PRIOR TO THE SCREENING***

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It Is Still 1985 Brighton's legendary 80s party (every Saturday at Green Door Store) turns 18 this year. To celebrate the night 'coming of age' White Wall Cinema are collaborating with 1985 for a season of films called 'Sex in the 80s' which continues this May with forgotten 80s classic 'Heartbreakers'. ​

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​​Very obviously the key influence on Challengers (Luca Guadagnino’s 2024 ménage à trois tennis drama starring Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor), this overlooked, underseen, tender and sexy buddy movie about two highly competitive male friends (on the racquetball court and off), both chronically unsuccessful in love, is a true forgotten gem. Intelligent framing and lush, sensual ’80s atmospherics blend with a raw, confessional style to create something of a mini-masterpiece.

Arthur Blue, a painter of erotic art (played by Peter Coyote of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Bitter Moon), has just been left by his long-time partner Cyd (Kathryn Harrold, Modern Romance; The Sender) for a more successful painter. Meanwhile, businessman Eli Kahn (Nick Mancuso, Ticket to Heaven; Nightwing), still tethered to his father’s garment business. Both then find themselves equally smitten with the same woman: beguiling French art gallery manager Lilliane (Carole Laure, Sweet Movie; Get Out Your Handkerchiefs) sending their delicate bromance into a tailspin. The dynamic, take-no-bullshit Lilliane, Blue’s discontented ex Cyd, and his artistic muse, wildcard Candy (Carol Wayne, The Tonight Show), bounce the two men around like a racquetball, observing with equal parts amusement, bemusement, and indifference.

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Based on the personal experiences of director Bobby Roth, Heartbreakers approaches its subject in the style of a European relationship drama while retaining all the textures of mid-’80s Los Angeles. It’s richly photographed by Michael Ballhaus, a longtime collaborator of Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Martin Scorsese, and scored by pioneering electronic group Tangerine Dream (Sorcerer; Thief; Risky Business).

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The film is refreshingly honest about the male ego (it’s not a film for men so much as a film about them) while remaining steeped in an unmatched ’80s aesthetic. Mature relationship dynamics and a streak of cheeky fun run throughout this highly recommended, unavailable since the tape era, but now finally restored in 2K from its original 35mm interpositive, Heartbreakers is more enjyable, fascinating, stylish, and ripe for rediscovery than ever.

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​​​​​​For more info It Is Still 1985's weekly Saturday events visit itisstill1985.com