We know it’s a busy season of celebrations, but I hope you’ll make it a point to stop into The Varsity Dec. 26 or Jan. 2 for our Midnights @10 feature: The Birthday.
The Birthday is a lost gem, starring Corey Feldman in a performance that almost defies description, as a perennial loser trapped in an apocalyptic horror fever dream set entirely in recently closed Art Deco hotel.
After a festival run in 2004, the film received no US distribution and was largely forgotten until Jordan Peele programmed it for Film at Lincoln Center in 2023.
Peele called The Birthday, “a cinematic marvel that demands captivation and will never relent to your expectations. A true ‘what-the-f-did-I-just-watch’ experience. Feldman at his best.”
If that doesn’t make you want to watch a film, I don’t know what will…
–Ben