L FOR LEISURE
dir. Lev Kalman & Whitney Horn, 2014
74 mins. USA / Mexico / Iceland / France

FRIDAY, MARCH 8 – 10 PM w/filmmakers in person for Q&A moderated by film critic Mark Asch
ONE NIGHT ONLY!
(This event is $10.)

Horn and Kalman’s 2014 hilarious breakout feature L FOR LEISURE follows a handful of clueless 20-something grad students on their various vacations – as they explore ideas of sex, history, life, society, science and time (and perhaps most importantly, the art of wasting it it.) Boosted by the gorgeous 16mm location photography that has long been the filmmakers’ signature and a swooning synth soundtrack by John Atkinson (of the band Aa), L FOR LEISURE diagnoses a moment of pre-9/11 complacency with an airy wit and a razor-sharp eye for detail.

“Brilliant… L FOR LEISURE offers a metaphysical dream of pure vision, one that is attainable only through leisure and landscape…That pursuit is itself the essence of cinema.” – Richard Brody, The New Yorker

“With the aid of John Atkinson’s original synth score, L FOR LEISURE strives toward creating impression rather than an imitation of the decade… For all its atmospheric laziness, this is not a film about (or for) slackers, but rather thinkers; embedded directly into the easy-breezy aesthetic is quite a rigorous exploration of time and space.” – Emma Myers, The L Magazine

“Beneath its inherently trendy façade, L for Leisure unlocks truths about the importance of friendship and the art of conversation few films could so categorically and honestly convey.”
-Ash Beks, The Essential

“At times it appears as if these unburdened scholars are committed to their own annihilation, blasting one another at a laser-tag arena called Future Warz. Kalman and Horn, in their own understated way, have updated the French actress Simone Signoret’s piquant remark that ‘nostalgia isn’t what it used to be’: Their wry, nimble film points the way forward for others who might also wish to look back.” – Melissa Anderson, Artforum

“Brazenly original.” – Sarah Salovaara, Filmmaker