Dancing in the Dust
Iranian director Asghar Farhadi has been getting better and better over the past decade, as each of his five movies aims bigger and hits harder than the last. He peaked last year with the divorce drama A Separation, easily one of 2011’s best. The Cinematheque is helping you catch up with Farhadi’s films this month, starting with his first, this 2003 movie about a man who divorces his wife after he finds out her mom was a prostitute. He needs cash to pay restitution, so he heads to the desert, where he hangs out with a cranky old man who collects snake venom. And you thought A Separation took some sharp turns. It’s at the Cinematheque at 9:15 p.m. Thursday, May 3, and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, May 6. — Michael Gallucci
Casa de Mi Padre
Will Ferrell plays the son of a Mexican rancher who goes to war with a drug lord. He also speaks Spanish the whole time. Cinematheque. At 7:20 p.m. Saturday, May 5, and 8:25 p.m. Sunday, May 6.
The Cheat
The Cinematheque helps celebrate Paramount Pictures’ 100th anniversary with a bunch of the studio’s classic films, including this 1915 silent drama, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, about a woman who steals some cash and then finds herself in a really bad situation. Cinematheque. At 7 p.m. Friday, May 4.
Monsieur Lazhar
A new teacher helps kids deal with the death of their previous one, who killed herself in class. Opens Friday at the Cedar Lee Theatre.
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Police nab a guy for murder and then search the countryside for the body of the victim. Cinematheque. At 8:15 p.m. Friday, May 4, and 9:05 p.m. Saturday, May 5.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
You oughta know this one by now. Cedar Lee Theatre. At midnight Saturday, May 5.
Shane
This 1953 western kicks off the Cinematheque’s “100 Years of Paramount Pictures” series. Cinematheque. At 6:45 p.m. Thursday, May 3.
The Story of Film: An Odyssey
The third and fourth parts of a 15-hour movie, which the art museum is showing in less butt-numbing increments over 10 weeks. It’s all about the history of the movies.Cleveland Museum of Art’s Morley Lecture Hall. At 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 9.
Videodrome
David Cronenberg’s 1983 mindfuck plays as part of the “Late Shift” series. Cedar Lee Theatre. At midnight Saturday, May 5.
This article appears in May 2-8, 2012.