When punk Otto (Emilio Estevez) loses his job in a supermarket, he becomes the assistant to morose ‘repo man’ Bud (a magnificent role for Harry Dean Stanton). Otto takes possession of a beautiful, extremely mysterious Chevrolet Malibu ’64, formerly owned by atomic physicist J. Frank Parnell. An exceptional car that is being hotly pursued by remorseless officials, UFO fans and gangsters. But none of them are at all prepared for what’s in the trunk.
Alex Cox’s absurd feature debut almost didn’t make it into American cinemas, until hordes of punk fans discovered the unparalleled soundtrack, featuring the likes of Black Flag, The Circle Jerks and Iggy Pop. Repo Man became an instant cult hit and regular feature on lists of the best films of the 1980s. Cameraman Robby Müller transforms industrial Los Angeles into a grim but magical place, comparable to the gorgeous car scenes he shot for Wim Wenders’ Der amerikanische Freund (1977).
As part of Critics’ Choice, the screening on Sat 1 Feb, 13:30 will be preceded by a video essay from Miklós Kiss.
Film details
- Country of production
- USA
- Year
- 1984
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2020
- Length
- 92'
- Medium/Format
- 35mm
