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Freaks (1932) — special screening with Dan Chaon
Event hosted at the EAST SIDE FREEDOM LIBRARY, in collaboration with our dear friends of TriLingua Cinema.
Tod Browning’s notorious 1932 film Freaks remains one of the most unsettling and radical movies Hollywood ever produced. Banned for decades, the film shocked audiences with its depiction of circus performers whose community, bonds, and dignity stand in stark contrast to the cruelty and greed of the so-called “normal” world.
On Friday, October 3 at 7:00 PM at the East Side Freedom Library, join Dan Chaon—National Book Award–finalist and author of the new novel One of Us—for an introduction and post-screening discussion exploring the film’s historical context and its disturbing relevance today.
When Freaks was released, the American eugenics movement was in full swing: laws permitting forced sterilizations were on the books in dozens of states, and the rhetoric of “fitness” and “purity” was considered mainstream science. Nearly a century later, those ideas echo again in our political and cultural landscape, whether in debates over disability rights, reproductive autonomy, or the rhetoric of Silicon Valley elites who imagine a world engineered for the “genetically superior.” The resurgence of eugenic thinking on the American right—couched in the language of efficiency, meritocracy, and bio-optimization—makes Browning’s strange, defiant vision more urgent than ever.
This film is Not Rated. Parents or guardians are encouraged to consult the IMDB Parents’ guide here.
This film will be screened in English with English subtitles.