Border Radio

Part of the UCLA Film & Television Archive’s American Neorealism, Part Two: 1984-2020 screening series. Register at cinema.ucla.edu to attend this in-theater screening.

Allison Anders, Dean Lent, and Kurt Voss leapt on to the scene with this stunning early feature, made while they were still graduate students at UCLA. Ostensibly the tale of a punk musician (played by Chris D. of the Flesh Eaters) who hightails it to Ensenada after stealing unpaid money that was owed to him, it’s as much a loving portrait of the L.A. indie music scene at the time. Featuring stunning and gritty 16mm black-and-white cinematography by Lent, it oozes the essence of the 1980s with every sizzling grain. Excellent, often improvised performances by John Doe of X, Luanna Anders, Chris Shearer, and many others contribute to this glowing record of a dynamic moment in Los Angeles history.

(1987, dir. Allison Anders, DCP, black & white, 87 min.)