Film

BAMcinématek launches its new annual partnership with The Paris Review at this year’s Brooklyn Book Fair with a rare screening of Bruce Robinson’s semi-autobiographical directorial debut Withnail and I. The film follows the alcohol-fueled, darkly comic misadventures of a pair of unemployed actors, from their squalid flat in London to flamboyant uncle Monty's country estate, where they end up “on holiday by mistake.” Moving from hysterical, rapid-fire rants to poignant moments, Withnail is a gem of British comedy full of wit, angst, and surprising moments of tenderness.

The screening will be followed by a discussion with frequent Paris Review illustrator Leanne Shapton, editor Lorin Stein, and deputy editor Sadie Stein, who regard the cult classic as a perfect distillation of the magazine’s sensibility.