SFFS Screen presents: Before I Forget August 1, 2008

Before I Forget, which had its premiere in the Directors Fortnight in 2007 at Cannes, is the final installment in a trilogy of autobiographical films, all starring the respected contemporary French writer/director Jacques Nolot. Specializing in slow-burn languor, Nolot quietly builds up offhand observations and incisive characterizations into surprisingly emotional dénouements. In L’arrière pays (1998) his alter ego returns to his hometown to see his dying mother. In Porn Theater (2002) he turned his attention to the behavior—sexual and otherwise—of audience members at a movie theater. Nolot is also known to French audiences for having appeared in numerous films of André Téchiné, including The Witnesses, and for having written the screenplay for Téchiné’s I Don’t Kiss (SFIFF 1992). A sobering yet slyly humorous rumination on the cruel realities of growing old, Before I Forget is his finest work yet. Pierre is an aging café philosopher and dapper ex-gigolo in mourning for both his recently deceased patron and for his vanished past. No longer the carefree cocotte of his youth, Pierre now must contend with HIV-related illness, writer’s block and an aging body that can’t keep up with his still thriving libido. Staving off depression through visits with finicky friends, his unflappable shrink and young hustlers, chain-smoking Pierre is a uniquely French embodiment of world-weary sophistication and autumn-years dread. Written by Jacques Nolot. Photographed by Josée Deshaies. Wtih Jean-Pol Dubois, Marc Rioufol and Bastien d’Asnières. Cahiers du cinema named Before I Forget one of the ten best films of 2007. Distributed by Strand Releasing. (In French with English subtitles, 108 min.)

At the Sundance Kabuki all seats are reserved and an amenities fee is in effect for most shows. Tickets will be available through the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas box office, at kiosks in the lobby and online at www.sundancecinemas.com with print-at-home capability. San Francisco Film Society members will receive discounted admission to SFFS Screen programs at the box office only (not online or at the lobby kiosks).

Official Website: http://www.sffs.org