Film Forum

(1994, Tom Noonan) The directorial debut of actor Tom Noonan (12 Monkeys, Manhunter, Robocop 2, etc.), a darkly humorous take on dating dread, two lonely co-workers (stunning performances by Noonan and Karen Sillas) spend a claustrophobic Friday night together for an intimate dinner gone awry. A startling chamber piece of two people trying to connect, based on Noonan’s own play. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Screenwriting Award at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. Approx. 91 min.

AN OSCILLOSCOPE LABS RELEASE

Virtual Cinema program supported by the Robert Gore Rifkind Foundation.

Reviews

“Wildly heartbreaking and terribly funny.”
– Charlie Kaufman

“DESERVES A RENAISSANCE... A bracing tonic, clear and sharp and icy cold. What Happened Was... takes place in Edward Hopper’s New York, where city dwellers hole up in private spaces flickering with trauma, surrounded by masses of people, but isolated by walls and glass…Features two performances that make others look shallow, facile, or self-important… [Karen] Sillas deserves to be spoken of in the same breath as Bibi Andersson [and] Gena Rowlands.”
– Sheila O’Malley, Film Comment

“A haunting, expressionistic portrait of two lonely souls who have reached out for companionship and instead found themselves on a proving ground, where they are mercilessly denuded of their protective lies and self-deception.”
– Michael Sicinski, AV Club

“Compellingly written and acted, it paints an achingly realistic picture of people desperately trying to connect.”
– Kenneth Turan, LA Times

“SUPERB... One of my favorite films of the year. I've always felt there was a great film to be made out of a first date... Now I've seen it.”
– Gene Siskel