Saturday, December 21, 2013

Fassbinder's Transgender Tragedy 'Year With 13 Moons' Plays Tonite in SF



The three-month retrospective of Rainer Werner Fassbinder films at the Pacific Film Archive, the Roxie Theatre and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts comes to a close tonight. It's been a queer cineaste's dream gift to catch up with old favorites and see flicks we've missed.

The late gay director's transgender masterpiece "In a Year With 13 Moons" screens today at 7:30 pm down at the YBCA Screening Room on Mission near 4th Street. The center is showing a 35 mm print and thankfully not a digital print. I've seen this film only once, when it enjoyed a healthy run at the old Waverly Theatre in Manhattan, back before that venue was transformed into the IFC Center.

From the YBCA program notes:

This masterpiece defies categorization; it’s equal parts melodrama, dark comedy, tragedy, and probing character study. It features a breathtaking central performance by Volker Spengler as Elvira, a transgender man who has become a woman in an attempt to please a former lover.

If you've never seen a Fassbinder film, "In a Year With 13 Moons" is an excellent introduction to his work, and if you are familiar with his films, you know this film is one of his best. Click here for info on purchasing tickets.

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