“Contains moments of pure revelation.” - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
When his teenage daughter Kristin disappears on a church-sponsored trip to California, Midwestern businessman Jake VanDorn (George C. Scott in an explosive, career-best performance) hires a private detective to find her and is horrified when she turns up in a porno. He leaves his structured, Calvinist life in Grand Rapids, Michigan for the seedy streets of Los Angeles to find her, and becomes enmeshed in a culture of strip clubs, neon lights, and cheap sex. As Jake gets ever closer to finding Kristen, Schrader masterfully weaves questions of faith, shame, sin, and virtue into his dark journey. Schrader, who was born in Grand Rapids and raised in a strict Calvinist household, has described HARDCORE as a film about his father.
Awards & Nominations
Nominee - Golden Bear, Berlin Film Festival
An Evening with Paul Schrader
On Saturday, April 5, Paul Schrader joins us for an intimate conversation about his life and career, followed by the Renaissance Award presentation.
Directed by Paul Schrader Series
Leading up to the Renaissance Award presentation, we will screen seven films written and directed by Schrader, demonstrating the auteur’s provocative explorations of faith, his perpetual examinations of characters’ values in conflict with society, and his indelible mark on American cinema, March 21–April 5.
Curated by Paul Schrader Series
Schrader, a passionate and curious cinephile who began his career as a film critic, has also curated four films for the Film Center’s screens, which will run alongside and complement his own films, March 23–April 4.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu