Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, and Food.

Reveries: The Mind Prison

Dec 4

If the Big Dark has you feeling glum and you’re in the mood to expand your consciousness with some big laughs along the way, consider this unique comedy/art film hybrid, which was released earlier this year. Through a combination of “narrative scenes, abstract video montages, and meditative voiceovers,” the psychedelic movie follows two drifters wandering through a desert on an existential journey of self-discovery—New York Magazine’s Vulture likened it to “an ayahuasca session conducted by Mitch Hedberg.” Better yet, co-writer and star Anthony Oberbeck will be present at this special screening. (The Beacon Cinema, 7:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

Bye Bye Love

Dec 9–11

This lost gem of Japanese independent cinema came out in 1974 and was rediscovered in a film lab warehouse in 2018, leading to its restoration and distribution in America for the first time in 50 years. Evoking the doomed atmosphere of Gregg Araki and the stylish surrealism of Jean-Luc Godard, director Isao Fujisawa’s sole feature film introduces us to Utamaro, a nihilistic vagabond who crosses paths with the beautiful genderfluid shoplifter Giko. Before long, the star-crossed pair must go on the lam for murder and embark on a summer trek through Japan. In short, it’s a queer crime road-trip movie with a Japanese take on French New Wave—what more could you possibly ask for? (The Beacon Cinema, various times) JULIANNE BELL

Female Misbehavior

Dec 13

I won’t pretend that Monika Treut’s Female Misbehavior is for everyone, but if you are interested in feminist post-structuralism, lesbian sadomasochism, or stories of gender- non-conforming artists, keep reading! Released in 1992, Female Misbehavior is a collection of four short documentaries that explore individuals who live outside of society’s expectations of gender and womanhood, or, as one of the film’s subjects, Camille Paglia, puts it, “my everyday life as a social and sexual alien.” The films range from an interview with the aforementioned academic, a portrait of trans poet Max Wolf Valerio, a PCA (Public Cervix Announcement) from “post porn modernist” Annie Sparkle, and a look at New York’s Lesbian Sex Mafia. (NW Film Forum, 4:30 pm) AUDREY VANN

Vengeance Is Mine

Dec 15–17

The late German-American filmmaker Michael Roemer is primarily known for his landmark films Nothing But a Man (1964) and The Plot Against Harry (1971), but his lesser-known family drama Vengeance Is Mine (1984) could give them a run for their money. On a trip to her family home in Rhode Island, where she hopes to get closure from her traumatic childhood, Jo (Brooke Adams) befriends neighbor Donna (Trish Van Devere) and finds herself ensnared in another domestic conflict altogether. Criterion Collection writes, “Bringing vérité naturalism to a seemingly melodramatic premise, Roemer crafts a miracle of novelistic psychological insight that, as it unspools, reveals ever-greater depths of human understanding.” (The Beacon Cinema, various times) JULIANNE BELL

Mourning Sickness: Showgirls

Jan 17–18

What can I say about Paul Verhoeven’s landmark 1995 erotic drama that hasn’t already been said? That I felt like a changed person after watching it for the first time? That it is tacky and absurd to a degree approaching transcendence? That never in my life have I seen anything quite like Gina Gershon flirting with Elizabeth Berkley by talking about eating doggy chow? Whether you love or hate the critically panned movie, I’m willing to bet that you’re probably not indifferent. (I’m solidly in the love camp myself, in case you couldn’t guess.) See the psychosexual NC-17 sensation and its bevy of naked breasts on the big screen—drag queen and self-described “bird-brained bombshell” Monday Mourning will give an introduction to the film, which is part of her “Mourning Sickness” series of camp and cult classics. (Northwest Film Forum, 7:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

Lady Windermere’s Fan

Jan 26

I attended my first Silent Movie Monday last month, and now I am completely obsessed. The film series pays homage to the history of our beloved Paramount Theatre, which opened in 1928, showing silent films accompanied by live musicians on the theater’s original Mighty Wurlitzer (a single organ that’s connected to various pipes and percussion instruments), and serving free, old-fashioned bags of popcorn—it’s truly like stepping into a time machine. For the next Silent Movie Monday, organist Donna Parker will soundtrack Ernst Lubitsch’s 1925 adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan. Set in 1890s London, the film follows an elegant society woman who’s convinced her husband is having an affair. It’s full of drama, scandals, and stunning costumes. Warning: You will likely leave the theater wanting to cut your hair into a 1920s bob. (Paramount Theatre, 7 pm) AUDREY VANN

More

Truth to Fiction: Blue Dec 4, Northwest Film Forum, 7 pm

WTO/99 Dec 5–14, Northwest Film Forum

SIFF ‘n’ Stitch: Elf Dec 7, SIFF Cinema Uptown, 12 pm

The Muppet Christmas Carol Dec 11–14, SIFF Cinema Uptown

Gremlins Dec 12–18, the Beacon

Gendernauts Dec 13, Northwest Film Forum, 7:30 pm

Deaf Santa Claus Dec 14, SIFF Film Center, 1 pm

Genderation Dec 14, Northwest Film Forum, 7:30 pm

The Snow Queen Dec 18–19, the Beacon

It’s a Wonderful Life Dec 18–24, Northwest Film Forum

Who Killed Santa Claus? Dec 21, the Beacon, 5 pm

Christmas in Connecticut Dec 21 & 23, the Beacon

Ghost Stories for Christmas Dec 23, the Beacon, 7:30 pm

Fanny and Alexander Dec 24, the Beacon, 2 pm

Together Dec 27 & 30, the Beacon

Moulin Rouge! New Year’s Eve Sing-along Dec 31, SIFF Cinema Uptown, 6 pm

Peaches Goes Bananas Jan 24–Feb 1, Northwest Film Forum