The Stranger

(FILM) This film about a dystopian boarding school, based on a turn-of-the-last-century novella called The Corporal Education of Young Girls, is directed by Lucile Hadzihalilovic, who's the collaborator and off-screen partner of Gaspar Noé (Irreversible). Her movie is everything his over-the-top brutality fantasias are not: subtle, menacing, and rigidly contained. Best of all is her nearly wordless personality portraiture. This little girl is a sly sensualist; that little girl has the otherworldly fury of Antigone. (Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 267-5380. 7 pm and 9:30 pm, $5-$8.) by Annie Wagner

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(ART) There is poetry in the materials themselves: tar, blood, wax, charcoal, oil paint, bronze. Enrique Martinez Celaya puts them to use in portraits of solitary young men in charged environments that raise existential questions and echo the romantic-symbolist impulse of artists like Albert Pinkham Ryder, Nathan Oliveira, and Giacometti. Paul Celan has been a constant inspiration for the Cuban-born artist, and the poet's writings can seem to describe these pieces: "To stand, in the shadow/of a scar in the air. Stand-for-no-one-and-nothing. Unrecognized,/for you/alone." (Greg Kucera Gallery, 212 Third Ave S, 624-0770. Tues–Sat, 10:30 am–5:30 pm, free.) by Jen Graves

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(INTERVIEW) In the second frame of Harvey Pekar's new graphic novel, Ego & Hubris, his hero, a Ukrainian raised in Brooklyn named Michael Malice, says, "I wouldn't say that it was a horrible or an abusive life; it was just a childhood not suited for a human being." Tonight, Pekar, most famous for his autobiographical comic-book series American Splendor, is interviewed onstage by Stranger critic Paul Constant, who has the best name ever. (Town Hall Seattle, 1119 Eighth Ave, 624-6600 for info. 7:30 pm, $5.) by Christopher Frizzelle

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(LECTURE) Every few years, the Henry Art Gallery commissions something big from a living artist, and Maya Lin: Systematic Landscapes continues the tradition. Lin's talk sold out weeks in advance, but seats are still available for a live video simulcast that will play in a room nearby. Her exhibition opens April 22. Whether she's practicing public art, architecture, or museum installation, she is still obsessed with the land, still the Yale senior dreaming up an astounding gash in the earth that gave the victims of a bad war a good ending. (Kane Hall at UW, 616-9894. Lecture at 7 pm, $5–$10 video simulcast tickets are first-come, first-served and go on sale at 6:30 pm.) by Jen Graves

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(CLUB NIGHT) I say that Hot Mess is the sexiest, sweatiest, kick-asseyist all-girl-DJed club night for gay boys ever—and if it isn't, I'll pork a ham. So come groove that gorgeous homo-boy fanny to the compelling beats of DJs L.A. Kendall, Julie Herrera, Colby B, and the singular musical scorch of import guest DJ Special T! (From L.A.! Oooooh!) The floor will throb, heads might bob, the guys will be drunk and hot (I promise), and it's a $5 cover all night with a copy of this here Stranger Suggests. (Yes, cut it out!) (War Room, 722 E Pike St, 328-7666. 9 pm, $5–$7, 21+.) by Adrian Ryan

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(EXTRAVAGANZA) After the smashing success of their first New York run, the inspired freaks of Circus Contraption—"Seattle's original one-ring circus"—are itching to return, hence this fundraiser, which promises to turn ConWorks into a "giant pillow-and-blankie-strewn living room." Among the many delights: shadow puppets, burlesque, the Aerialists, a bedtime video by Reggie Watts, expansive games of Truth or Dare and Spin the Bottle, a big-screen Atari tournament, and the world's biggest game of Twister. Wear your pajamas. (Consolidated Works, 500 Boren Ave N, 1-800-838-3006. 9 pm until the wee hours, $15/$18, 21+.) by David Schmader

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(THEATER) Sometimes you just want a well-built play: no absurdist flavors, no fire-eating burlesque aerialists, no crazy musical distractions. Lobby Hero scratches the itch—there's a chipper, motor-mouthed security guard, romantically entangled cops, a few life-and-death moral dilemmas, good actors, a smart director, and a playwright who understands language and people. (Bathhouse Theater, 7312 W Green Lake Dr N, 524-1300. 2 pm, $18. Through April 30.) by Brendan Kiley

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