Young Programmers Festival 2025: Seconds + Meshes of the Afternoon 15
The final entry in John Frankenheimer’s informally named ‘Paranoia Trilogy’ (along with The Manchurian Candidate and Seven Days in May) Seconds is a surreal exploration of identity, ambition and the American dream, stunningly realised by James Wong Howe’s avant-garde cinematography and experimental camerawork.
Seconds follows an archetypal middle-aged banker (played by John Randolph) unhappy with his marriage and career, who is offered a Faustian bargain by the enigmatic ‘Company’ - the chance to become someone else. Upon agreeing to the procedure in which he is surgically transformed and given the identity of a famous painter (now played by Rock Hudson), he realises that his new existence is not as idyllic as he had hoped.
The Young Programmers chose this film for the Doppelgangers double bill for its subversive take on the inherently cinematic tension between inner identity and outer expression. Its claustrophobic atmosphere contrasts with the sardonic The Double, showcasing the doppelganger trope's ability to explore a range of themes, revealing its flexibility across genres and deeper human complexities.
This event will begin with a special introduction by the Young Programmers and a screening of Maya Deren's Meshes of the Afternoon.
Please note there will be no adverts or trailers before this screening.
Watch
Gallery 1 image
- Director
- John Frankenheimer
- Year
- 1966
- Duration
- 1 hour 47 minutes
- Language
- English
- Cast
- John Randolph, Rock Hudson, Salome Jens
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