Outside the Box [Office] and NEON invite you and a guest to a special preview screening of

Colossal

About Colossal

Director's Statement

Colossal is a movie in which a universally recognizable story is told through a collision of genres that is, a priori, impossible. On one hand, it reflects the comical romanticism presented by American independent film over the last three decades. On the other hand, it refers to kaiju monster movies from Japan, which have become icons of fantastic and catastrophic cinema — definitively bigger than life. The plot follows the financial collapse of someone who has lost her job, a situation relevant to our time, coinciding with the frustrating and messy transition to adulthood after age 30.

Anne Hathaway plays Gloria, a woman faced with sentimental and professional failure who seeks refuge in the town where she grew up, a situation that puts her in an even deeper hole. In the first half of the film, Gloria meets Oscar, played by Jason Sudeikis, a friend from elementary school who becomes a source of financial and emotional support. Many in the audience will come to think this is a story about two people being romantically reunited.

But Gloria and Oscar defy the expectations of their characters and venture into territories that will be surprising to their respective fans.

All of this without mentioning the giant monster that is attacking the city of Seoul in South Korea! Over the course of the movie, Gloria and Oscar's drama develops as the world grapples with the attack of a giant creature that looks like something out of a completely different movie.

We witness this fantastic phenomenon through the eyes of the characters, who follow the tragedy in the same way we would follow it: via TV news and over the Internet.

I portray this far-fetched fantasy as realistically as possible — to show in a credible way how we would react to watching these images on CNN.

We live in an era in which we are sadly accustomed to following catastrophes on live TV; Gloria's reactions and the rest of the characters' reactions have a direct correlation with our own experiences as an audience and consumers of information.

But this film is not an essay on our relationship with the mass media. As the relationship develops between Gloria, Oscar and the creature in Seoul, the true nature of this story becomes revealed.

Colossal examines how the size of someone's actions does not have to match the size of its consequences.

Gloria learns in a terrible and surprising way the scale of her mistakes. And she discovers that in order to solve her problems she will have to grow — in every way.

-- Nacho Vigalondo

About the Guest

NACHO VIGALONDO (Director, Writer, Executive Producer)

Nacho Vigalondo, Spanish writer-director and producer, burst onto the American film scene with his riveting directorial debut Timecrimes, which premiered at Austin's Fantastic Fest in 2008. The film went on to win critical acclaim at major festivals, winning the coveted Best Feature Film at Fantastic Fest before being released in theaters by Magnolia Pictures.

Vigalondo went on to write, direct and produce Extraterrestrial, which was released in U.S. theaters by Focus Features. In 2014, he premiered Open Windows, starring Elijah Wood and Sasha Grey, at South by Southwest, where it was nominated for the Audience Award. The film also screened at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, winning the Best Editing Award. Additionally, the film was nominated for a Goya Award for Best Special Effects.

Vigalondo has won more than 80 awards in national and international film festivals. In 2005, his feature short 7:35 in the Morning was nominated for an Oscar for Best Short Film in addition to a European Film Award.

As an actor, Vigalondo has starred in Camino, starring Zoe Bell, Timecrimes, Choque and 7:35 in the Morning.

About Outside the Box [Office]

Outside the Box [Office] is a weekly showcase for upcoming releases highlighting world cinema, documentary and independent film titles. Recognizing a need for greater diversity on campus, the series will draw from around the globe to present movies that may challenge, inspire or simply entertain.

To view the calendar of screenings, click here.

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Check-In & Reservations

This screening is free of charge and open to the public. Please bring a valid USC ID or print out of your reservation confirmation, which will automatically be sent to your e-mail account upon successfully making an RSVP through this website. Doors will open at 2:30 P.M.

All SCA screenings are OVERBOOKED to ensure seating capacity in the theater, therefore seating is not guaranteed based on RSVPs. The RSVP list will be checked in on a first-come, first-served basis until the theater is full. Once the theater has reached capacity, we will no longer be able to admit guests, regardless of RSVP status.

Parking

The USC School of Cinematic Arts is located at 900 W. 34th St., Los Angeles, CA 90007. Parking passes may be purchased for $12.00 at USC Entrance Gate #5, located at the intersection of W. Jefferson Blvd. & McClintock Ave. We recommend Parking Structure D, at the far end of 34th Street. Metered street parking is also available along Jefferson Blvd.

Contact Information

Name: Alessandro Ago
Email: aago@cinema.usc.edu