News

By Tatiana Siegel

The film stars Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller and Michael Angarano.

IFC Films has acquired U.S. rights to Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s The Stanford Prison Experiment.

The film, which was written by Tim Talbott, stars Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller, Michael Angarano, Tye Sheridan, Johnny Simmons, Olivia Thirlby, Nick Braun, Thomas Mann, Ki Hong Lee, James Wolk, James Frecheville and Moises Arias.

The film is based on the real-life research of Dr. Zimbardo, who in the summer of 1971 launched a study on the psychology of imprisonment in which 18 male undergraduates are randomly assigned the role of either guard or prisoner. The test subjects rapidly begin to embody their roles: the guards becoming power hungry and sadistic, while the prisoners plot a reprisal to the degradation they suffer. As Zimbardo and his team monitor the escalating conflict, they begin to question their own role in the experiment. Read more

By MANOHLA DARGIS

There’s no denying the “aww” appeal of a man and an elephant walking down a street, hand in trunk. That is one truth in “One Lucky Elephant,” a sweet, heart- and trunk-tugging, modestly sized documentary — except for its 10,000-pound title subject — about a circus man and the wild animal he foolishly bought, helped to train, loved like a (captive) daughter and finally, tearfully, tried to do right by, mostly by letting her go. Read more

What happens to a circus elephant when its time to retire? After 16 years in the spotlight, Flora, an African elephant living in St. Louis, must find a new home, and David, the circus producer who has cared for her all these years, must say goodbye. The road to Floras retirement, however, is a difficult and emotional one as the bond between man and elephant is tested in unexpected ways. Ten years in the making, this touching, thought-provoking film deftly investigates the problems and mysteries posed by keeping wild animals in captivity while never losing sight of the delicate love story at its heart.