Thelma at HOME

Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor

Book now

Thelma

HOME Manchester, Manchester
17-23 November 2017

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Image courtesy of HOME
Book now

Desire, pleasure and repressive ideology collide with cataclysmic results in Thelma, the latest film from director Joachim Trier. Working back in his native Norway following a sojourn into the English language with the 2015 New York-set drama Louder Than Bombs, Trier takes a patient approach with this slow-burn supernatural coming-of-ager. Eili Harboe plays Thelma, a young Christian who moves away to the big city (Oslo) only to be confronted with all of the ills her parents have warned her about.

Studying biology at university leaves Thelma feeling superior to the small-town creationists she knew at home, whilst her faith initially causes her to remain smugly isolated from her fellow students; whose drinking and dating seems frivolous and shallow. Slowly though, curiosity draws her towards temptation and a glass of wine turns into two and then a budding — but forbidden — romance with a female classmate. The only trouble is that these newfound pleasures arrive accompanied by seizures that manifest her desires Carrie-like in the external world.

Trier’s film teases us with mysterious flashbacks that suggest Thelma experienced similarly destructive fits as a child and it’s hinted that her recently unleashed desires have triggered a relapse. Unfortunately the film’s meanings and metaphors become muddled and difficult to parse as the plot complicates itself in the final third, but Thelma manages to remain visually and thematically compelling throughout. Sumptuous wide-shots, eerie god’s eye views and sensual sequences exploring Thelma’s blossoming sexuality make for a gratifying, if occasionally underdeveloped, queer psycho-thriller.

What's on at HOME Manchester

Two young women dance in a nightclub, smiling next to each other.
CinemaManchester
The Last Days of Disco + Q&A at HOME

Director Whit Stillman presents a 35mm screenings of one of the best films of the nineties, as a group of twenty-somethings navigate The Last Days of Disco.

From £7.95

Where to go near Thelma at HOME

Manchester
Restaurant
Indian Tiffin Room, Manchester

Indian Tiffin Room is a restaurant specialising in Indian street food, with branches in Cheadle and Manchester. This is the information for the Manchester venue.

The Ritz Manchester live music venue
Manchester
Music venue
The Ritz

The Ritz was originally a dance hall, built in 1928, has hosted The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and The Smiths and is still going strong as a gig venue now.

Homeground
Manchester
Event venue
Homeground

Homeground is HOME’s brand new outdoor venue, providing an open-air space for theatre, food, film, music, comedy and more.

Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Burgess Cafe Bar
at IABF

Small but perfectly-formed café – which also serves as the in-house bookstore, stocking all manner of Burgess-related works, along with recordings of his music. It’s a welcoming space, with huge glass windows making for a bright, welcoming atmosphere.

Rain Bar pub in Manchester
City Centre
Bar or Pub
Rain Bar

This huge three-floor pub, formerly a Victorian warehouse, then an umbrella factory (hence the name), has one of the city centre’s largest beer gardens. The two-tier terrace overlooks the Rochdale canal and what used to be the back of the Hacienda, providing an unusual, historic view of the city.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Briton’s Protection

Standing on the corner of a junction opposite The Bridgewater Hall, The Briton’s Protection is Manchester’s oldest pub. It has occupied the same spot since 1795, going under the equally

Castlefield Gallery, Manchester
Castlefield
Gallery
Castlefield Gallery

The influential Castlefield Gallery sits at the edge of Manchester’s exciting Castlefield district, an ideal home for thought-provoking contemporary art.

What's on: Cinema

Two young women dance in a nightclub, smiling next to each other.
CinemaManchester
The Last Days of Disco + Q&A at HOME

Director Whit Stillman presents a 35mm screenings of one of the best films of the nineties, as a group of twenty-somethings navigate The Last Days of Disco.

From £7.95
Until
CinemaManchester
YANK at Cultplex

Thirteen movies to get to know the United States of America. Cultplex presents a season of film exploring America through its own lens.

From £7.50

Culture Guides

Star Nhà Ease
Cinema in the North

July's cinema highlights include spotlights on international cinema, a new cult classic, plus a visit from one of our favourite directors.

Exhibitions in the North

Captivating, urgent and intimate - we bring you our top exhibition picks, with even more art festivals, artist-led shows and new venues.

Theatre in Manchester
Theatre in the North

Summer signals theatre festivals, world premieres and open-air spectacle - from MIF25 to comedy, outdoor circus and beyond, here’s what we’re looking forward to.

European Poetry Festival European Camarade
Literature Events in the North

From tongue-twisters to twisty page-turners, we have all kinds of spoken word surprises in the latest literature round-up.