Set in a South African school for boys in 1970, The Film Society chronicles the struggle of a young teacher to keep politics out of his extracurricular film club. After the school becomes embroiled in an Apartheid controversy, he must decide whether to support his activist colleague or side with the headmaster who can make or break his career.
What Is The Story of The Film Society?
Set in 1970, The Film Society tells the story of Jonathon Balton, an idealistic young teacher at the South African boarding school he attended as a boy. In the midst of Apartheid, Jonathon runs an extracurricular film society for students and tries to avoid the world of politics. When his friend, an outspoken teacher named Terry, is fired for his political activism, Jonathan must decide whether to side with the Establishment or stick up for his friend. As tension mounts and the school begins to decline, Jonathon is pressured by his well-to-do mother and the school’s headmaster to accept a promotion. But when Jonathon is pressured to fire Terry’s wife, Nan, he must decide between a life of financial security or an uncertain future.
"Euan Morton provides a sympathetic portrait of a cheerful, increasingly anxious instructor who tries not to become mired in the school’s conflicts."
New Jersey Newsroom
Michael Sommers
"[Roberta] Maxwell, who made her Broadway debut in 1958, is deliciously withering as Mrs. Balton, the prototype of the dragon mothers who would continue to haunt Mr. Baitz’s work."
The New York Times
Ben Brantley