Chasing Amy - Herzliya Cinematheque

Thursday | 24 September | 20:00 | Herzliya Cinematheque

Director: Kevin Smith
Cast: Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee, Guinevere Turner
(113 min, English; Hebrew subtitles)

Holden and Banky are two comic-book artists and close friends. When Alyssa, a gifted comic-book artist, meets them, it initially seems that she and Banky share an understanding, but a meaningful connection develops between her and Holden (although Alyssa makes it clear to him that she is attracted to women). Holden is convinced that he is open-minded and liberated enough to accept Alyssa’s past, but finds it more difficult to deal with the distance that develops between him and his best friend. When he discovers that her sexual history is more complicated than he had thought, however, his liberalism is put to the test.

Chasing Amy divided audiences at the time, but the years have been kind to a film that was excellent from the outset—and merely demanded a greater openness from its audience than its protagonist displays. The film’s title does not refer to one of the central characters, nor is it spoken by them; rather, it is taken from a beautiful monologue about love, jealousy, and missed opportunities. The monologue reveals the sensitivity hidden behind Smith’s blunt humor and reminds us why he was one of the clearest and most distinctive voices in American cinema during the 1990s.