Union Cinema
Typhoon Club
Union CinemaWinner of the Grand Prix at the first Tokyo International Film Festival in 1985, Typhoon Club is widely regarded as the seminal film of director Shinji Somai’s career. A work of raw, elemental power, it follows an ensemble of junior high students in a provincial town, beset by a summer-y malaise as a typhoon looms. When the storm makes landfall, the teens find themselves holed up in their school unsupervised, while another classmate disappears alone on a harrowing trek to the big city. Set adrift in a world suddenly unmoored, the students let loose their pent-up angst and burgeoning passions in a series of propulsive, phantasmic scenes—part apocalypse, part utopia—as the deluge rages on into the night. Observed in daring long takes, director Somai gives material form to the students’ turbulent inner lives. When day breaks and the rains let up, the youngsters open their eyes to a world in ruins—or a world renewed.
50 Feet Of String
Union CinemaA 12-section film that invites viewers into a more visceral and less verbally analytical state of mind. The "action," small events like the mail arriving, the storm coming, and the grass getting mowed, are secondary to the way of perceiving those events. In many ways, this film reaches back into a kind of personal memory one might recall from early childhood.
Memory Lane / FREE FOR EVERYONE!
Union CinemaMemory Lane is screening as part of Artistic Representations of Aging, an annual event hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Helen Bader Office of Applied Gerontology highlighting resilience in the older adult community through a photography exhibition and amateur competition, feature film screening in partnership with Milwaukee Film, and a panel discussion from experts on aging. The photography exhibition and amateur competition explores the theme “Reflections of Resilience,” calling attention to older adults in a variety of contexts with subjects including strength and adaptability, service, engagement, relationships, and artistic expression.
FREE FOR EVERYONE!
The Honeymoon Killers
Union CinemaMartha Beck is sullen, overweight, and lonely. Desperate for affection, she joins Aunt Carrie’s Friendship Club and strikes up a correspondence with Ray Fernandez, a charismatic smooth talker who could be the man of her dreams—or a degenerate con artist. Based on a shocking true story and shot in documentary-style black and white by the confident and inspired Leonard Kastle, in what would be his only foray into filmmaking, The Honeymoon Killers is a stark portrayal of the desperate lengths to which a lonely heart will go to find true love.
Missing & Murdered Indigenous People’s Day of Awareness Screening: Bring Her Home
Union CinemaBring Her Home follows three Indigenous women — an artist, an activist and a politician — as they work to vindicate and honor their relatives who are victims in the growing epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. As they …
Bring Her Home
Union CinemaBring Her Home follows three Indigenous women — an artist, an activist and a politician — as they work to vindicate and honor their relatives who are victims in the growing epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous Women.
Senior Screenings
Union CinemaJoin us in celebrating the class of 2025 and their fantastic films! Seniors work all year on writing, producing, editing, and polishing short films of their own design. Come see some of the most unique and exciting films coming out of Milwaukee! Join the Union Cinema and Student Involvement an hour before the film screenings for drinks, snacks and gold carpet photos. Dress up a little, schmooze a little, and then enjoy the amazing creative work of UWM’s student filmmakers from our nationally recognized Department of Film/Video/Animation/New Genres.