Film and Media Screening Series: ‘The History of Luminous Motion,’ with Bette Gordon

Director Bette Gordon

The Film and Media Screening series will present The History of Luminous Motion (1998) with director Bette Gordon; she will participate in a Q&A after the film. The History of Luminous Motion tells the story of 10-year-old Phillip and his Mom,fugitives from The American Dream, who live the outlaw life on the road. While other kids his age study the old-fashioned way, the precocious Phillip has no need for school: the neon light of motel signs is light enough by which to read his textbooks on biology and physics—two subjects about which his mom teaches him a thing or two, as she seduces men out of their credit cards to fuel their crazy flight. Phillip could live forever in this world of speed and light, so long as Mom is behind the wheel of their Chevy. But Mom begins to feel the gravitational pull of home life and the need to settle down. In this darkly comic road movie, Gordon continues to deal with the psychological and sexual issues that have permeated her work and for which she has received critical acclaim.

Bette Gordon
A pioneer in American Independent Cinema, and one of the most notable filmmakers to come out of the No Wave Movement of the 1980s in New York, Bette Gordon is known for her bold explorations of themes related to sexuality, violence, and power. Her first feature, Variety, now a cult classic, is about a woman who sells tickets in a pornographic movie theater in Times Square, and was called, “A female Taxi Driver, gritty, disturbing and explosive” by Time Out. Her films have been screened theatrically in the U.S. and abroad, as well as at all the major international film festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, Locarno, Rotterdam, and Tribeca.

The Film and Media Screening Series is supported by the Diversity Council, the Student-Faculty Corporation, the School of Liberal Arts, and the departments of Film, Media and Performing Arts, English and Communication Studies, and Modern Languages and Cultures.

All screenings are free and open to the public.