New film “Things Don’t Stay Fixed” by Bo Bartlett and Betsy Eby to screen at Strand on October 1

Posted September 16, 2021

The Strand Theatre will present a special screening of the new film 'Things Don't Stay Fixed' by Director Bo Bartlett and Executive Producer Betsy Eby on Friday, Oct. 1 at 8pm. A Maine summer resident, Bartlett is known for his biography documentary 'Snowhill: The Art and Life of Andrew Wyeth.' The screening is offered in conjunction with Rocklands' First Friday Art Walk.

'Things Don't Stay Fixed' is the story of a worldly photojournalist who returns to the Deep South to stop his daughter's wedding and save her future, then realizes it is he who has been stuck in the past. Inspired by Southern Gothic literary works of Tennessee Williams and Carson McCullers, the film is a surreal and subtle hero's journey that utilizes powerful dreamlike imagery and psychological archetypes.

The film is the first feature film by Bartlett and Eby, whose company has previously produced documentaries. Bartlett is a Pew Fellow and graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (the school which bred David Lynch) and NYU's Tisch film school. Bartlett's cinematic narrative paintings have been collected by Directors Steve Martin, M. Knight Shyamalan and Dennis Hopper as well as museums throughout the country. Eby is a widely collected painter and musician whose works can be seen in galleries and museums throughout the country and Europe.

The film is produced by actress, writer and casting director Stacy Cunningham with a screenplay by Southern playwright and former Artistic Director of the Alliance Theater, Sandra Deer, and features music by Eby. Visually crafted under Barlett's seasoned eye, each scene is composed like a masterwork of art in the American narrative tradition. Rivers, trains, and human dramas animate a small, forgotten mill town. Written for and shot in Bartlett's hometown, Columbus GA, 'Things Don't Stay Fixed' captures the rich and complex texture of Southern culture, from antebellum mansions and genteel traditions to independent women shucking patriarchal norms.

The film is rated PG-13. Regular ticket pricing: $9/Adults, $8/Seniors and Under 12, $7/Strand Members. Tickets can be purchased in advance on the Strand Theatre website, or at the box office 30 minutes prior to showtime. COVID safety protocols are in place at the theater. For more information, visitwww.RocklandStrand.com, email: [email protected], or call (207) 594-0070. Strand Theatre, 345 Main Street, Rockland, ME 04841