SIFF 2018 Picks: Final Week

From an isolated scientist to an always-connected teen, we highlight the fest’s offerings from June 4–10.

The Field Guide to Evil

The creators of The ABCs of Death are back with another terrifying anthology. This time, they’ve gathered eight promising new horror directors to bring the world’s darkest folk tales and urban legends to life. – KD

June 4 at 9:30 p.m., Uptown

McQueen

Couturier Alexander McQueen’s designs were frequently called grotesque, yet no one could deny the power of his subversive allure and his once-in-a-generation talent. McQueen’s controversial collections only pushed him higher up the fashion hierarchy, until it all came to a halt with his suicide in 2010. This documentary uncovers the man behind the myth, from his blue collar youth to his reign as king of British fashion using intimate archival footage, extensive interviews, and a showcase of his most influential works. – KD

June 4 at 7 p.m., Uptown | June 8 at 4 p.m., Pacific Place

Wild Nights With Emily

Molly Shannon plays the poet, both hilariously and movingly, in this fanciful yet (more or less) fact-based film about Emily Dickinson. She did struggle to get published; her poems did perplex her well-meaning but clueless editor/mentor Thomas Higginson; and she was close to her brother Austin’s wife Susan. But this close? Maybe. Writer/director Madeleine Olnek extrapolates from this, subverting her film’s cozy period setting with absurdist humor. – GB

June 7 at 7 p.m., Egyptian | June 9 at 4 p.m., Egyptian

Little Tito and the Aliens

When you’re a crackpot Italian scientist living in the desert near Area 51, the last thing you probably want is company. In Little Tito and the Aliens, said scientist doesn’t have much of a choice when his brother passes away, leaving his teenage niece and younger nephew in his care. As the kids begin to piece together what it is their uncle does out in this isolation the film begins blending its otherworldly ideas with touching family drama centered around the search for connections. – SS

June 7 at 7 p.m., Uptown | June 8 at 4 p.m., Egyptian | June 10 at 4:30 p.m., Pacific Place

Eighth Grade

Bo Burnham’s form-defying stand-up comedy specials what. and Make Happy displayed a genius potential with cutting humor, an eye for detail, and a sharp sense of cynical modern heart. Now Burnham’s first feature film as a writer/director looks poised for breakout success. The story follows a middle-school girl (Elsie Fisher) sorting through crushingly awkward burdens of puberty in an always-connected social-media age. – SS

June 9 at 6:30 p.m., Egyptian | June 10 at 12:30 p.m., Uptown

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