Fran Hoepfner, Author at Bright Wall/Dark Room

In late 2014, I walked into a movie theater at 9 in the morning to watch Force Majeure at a film festival in Belgium, running on a combination of jetleg and a strong Americano. The movie’s subtitles were in French only, and mon français est bon mais pas super. Still, I sat enrapt, dumbfounded and aghast. Read More

Martin Scorsese's 'The Irishman' premiered at this year's NYFF | Netflix

Fran At The Festival: Dispatches From NYFF

Fran Hoepfner·

Festivals

Fran Hoepfner on The Irishman, Uncut Gems, Marriage Story, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Parasite, First Cow, and other highlights (and not so highlights) from the New York Film Festival. Read More

Robin Williams and Nathan Lane in THE BIRDCAGE | MGM

If I Could Believe That

Fran Hoepfner·

Issue 75: Elaine May

In The Birdcage, jokes aren't simply clever bits of wordplay, but rather a continual give and take. This is the May touch—no one ever fully wins an argument; instead, it’s a constant battle for the last word. Read More

The Warriors (1979) | art by Tony Stella

The Real Deal

Fran Hoepfner·

Issue 74: Long Nights

The Warriors is about living with—through, during—the night, a lesson we all learn as kids, and carry with us as we sleep. It’s not so much about the fear of what’s behind, but about running as fast as possible toward what’s on the other side. Read More

A Couple Thousand Words On Charli XCX’s “Boys”

Fran Hoepfner·

Issue 72: Thirst Traps

Let us thirst again, we beg. It’s one of the few things we have left. Read More

Blood And Guts And Quentin And Mom And Me

Fran Hoepfner·

Issue 69: 1994

For as long as I can remember, my mom has referred to Pulp Fiction as the most violent film she had ever seen in her life, and I wanted to know why. Read More

Mission: Impossible - Fallout | Paramount Pictures

The Year Of The Death Wish

Fran Hoepfner·

Issue 67: Best of 2018

What makes Mission: Impossible — Fallout and Free Solo what they are is not death. It’s the spectatorship of death. It’s watching those around a person come to terms with what we all know is out there. Read More

If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) | Annapurna Pictures

Fran at the Festival: Reflections on NYFF ’18

Fran Hoepfner·

Festivals

Seeing movies is a gift, and I can’t wait to go back next year. Read More

Great Expectations

Fran Hoepfner·

Issue 61: Heat

Summer is restless and stupid and hot. Read More

Hold Up, They Don’t Love You Like I Love You

Fran Hoepfner·

Issue 57: Steven Soderbergh

There's a deftness to Ocean's Eleven that feels magical—of all the material for adults that I consumed a little too early, this was the only one that secretly felt like it was for kids. Read More

Lady Macbeth (2017) | Roadside Attractions

In My Home I Do Not Speak

Fran Hoepfner·

Issue 55: Best of 2017

I saw Lady Macbeth in the dead weight of summer with two male friends. This was, as politely as I can say it, a mistake. I don’t think we had the language to talk about it afterwards. Read More

How’s It Going To End? (Or: It’s Everyday, Bro)

Fran Hoepfner·

Issue 53: Head Trips

On The Truman Show, Jake Paul, and the increasingly blurred lines between the performed and private self. Read More