Spectacular Optical celebrates the release of Truth & Soul: A Robert Downey Sr. Reader with three nights of films by the singular American filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. Each screening will be introduced by the book’s editors, Kier-La Janisse and Clint Enns.
Bringing together new essays by 23 scholars, critics, archivists, music historians, and pop-culture chroniclers alongside a selection of archival writings, Truth & Soul examines the cultural legacy of Downey’s eccentric, provocative, and often startling body of work. The collection considers how his films intersect with race, class, consumerism, gender politics, and the shifting boundaries of comedy and good taste.
The three-film series reflects the remarkable breadth of Downey’s career. It begins with the perfect summer movie, Hugo Pool, a surprisingly tender romantic comedy that confronts the realities of living with ALS; continues with the early hit Chafed Elbows, his hilarious 1966 underground breakthrough; and concludes with America, his under-seen and anarchic 1980s media satire.
HUGO POOL
Wednesday, July 22, 2026 , 19h30
La Métropolitaine [3333 Crémazie Boulevard E.]
https://la-metropolitaine.ca/
A quirky, offbeat romantic comedy about a Los Angeles pool cleaner navigating a single chaotic day of eccentric clients, family drama, and unexpected connection. When she meets a handsome young man living with Lou Gehrig’s disease, their brief encounter blossoms into an unlikely and deeply tender romance.
CHAFED ELBOWS
Friday, July 24, 2026 19h30
la lumière collective [7080 Alexandra Street, #506]
https://lalumierecollective.org/2026/robert-downey-sr-chafed-elbows/
A wildly funny still-image film about a man suffering through his “annual November breakdown.” Take a plunge into the 1960s New York underground scene populated by degenerate artists, desperate independent filmmakers, hustlers, eccentrics, and compulsive dirty-sock sniffers. Incest jokes, absurd psychotherapy, artistic pretension, sexual confusion, and no-budget filmmaking collide in a barrage of deadpan gags and surreal non sequiturs. Scrappy, offensive, and relentlessly inventive.
AMERICA **** ON VHS ****
Sunday, July 26, 2026 , 19h30
Cinéma au Cinoche [2210 Mont-Royal Ave E]
https://www.cinemacinoche.com/event/20260726-america-vhs-book-launch/
A madcap media satire about the unruly staff of a scrappy New York cable television station. When the crew accidentally bounces its signal off the moon, their local broadcast suddenly goes global—bringing instant fame, international attention, and even more chaos. Packed with eccentric characters, absurd gags, and anarchic energy, America takes aim at television, celebrity, and the relentless hunger for attention.