Film

In Rick Alverson’s disquietingly funny follow-up to The Comedy (BAMcinemaFest 2012), a broken, aging comedian tours the California desert, lost in a cycle of third-rate venues, novelty tourist attractions, and vain attempts to reach his estranged daughter. Fueled by the promise of a lucrative Hollywood engagement, he trudges through a series of increasingly surreal and volatile encounters. Gregg Turkington (best known as Neil Hamburger) delivers an “astonishing” (Variety) performance as a comedian caught in a struggle between being the center of attention and the object of alienation, occasionally challenged by an unexpected cast of characters played by Tye Sheridan, John C. Reilly, Michael Cera, and Amy Seimetz. Sneak preview courtesy Magnolia Pictures.