Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights (1997) begins in 1978, when the new sexuality has hardened and been commodified in the porn industry. The film follows the fortunes of Eddie (Mark Wahlberg), a dishwasher with “something wonderful in his pants.” Anderson masterfully handles Eddie’s journey through the age of entitlement, capturing the recklessness and invincibility of the coke-tinged times. But once Dirk Diggler–as Eddie is renamed–finds his new family, he must leave them behind. In a culture that has a hard time dealing with sexual freedom, Anderson has made a film that takes an unflinching look at the business of sexuality. And what’s more, he neither punishes nor rewards his character for their experiments in liberation. (R) CLAIRE DEDERER

Sept. 24-25, 7 & 10 p.m.; Sept. 26-29, 9:30 p.m., 2010