PICKPOCKET | FOMO Secret Cinema Tbilisi

PICKPOCKET (1959)

Robert Bresson | 1959 | France | 1h15m | presented in the original French with English subtitles

PICKPOCKET arrived in 1959, just as the French New Wave was beginning to break through. Bresson was not part of that movement, but his stripped-back style, location shooting, rejection of conventional acting and emphasis on personal filmmaking helped create the conditions in which directors like Godard and Truffaut could flourish.

The film follows Michel, a young man drifting through Paris who becomes increasingly consumed by pickpocketing. He is less interested in money than in the act itself, and gradually convinces himself that certain exceptional people might somehow stand above ordinary morality.

The influence of Dostoevsky’s CRIME AND PUNISHMENT is clear, but Bresson removes almost everything conventional. There are no big performances, no dramatic speeches and very little explanation. He builds the film through gesture, repetition and behaviour.

The pickpocketing scenes are extraordinary. Hands slip into pockets, wallets pass between thieves, bodies block sightlines and objects disappear in movements so precise they feel like sleight of hand.

Its influence stretches far beyond French cinema. Paul Schrader, the screenwriter of TAXI DRIVER, RAGING BULL and THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST, has called PICKPOCKET the most influential film of his creative life. You can see its DNA all over the lonely, obsessive men who populate his work.

Bresson used non-professional performers and deliberately avoided expressive acting, which gives the film its unusual, stripped-back quality. Michel can seem detached, but that distance is the point. The film is really about isolation, obsession and the possibility of human connection.

At just 75 minutes, PICKPOCKET is one of Bresson’s most concentrated films, and one of the clearest ways to understand why so many filmmakers who came after him treated his work as a blueprint.

Special thanks to FOMO Film Club Member Simon 🇫🇷 who recommended this film for this week's program.

10% OFF FOOD, PLUS GROUP DEALS

Dinner before a film at FOMO is now sorted! We’ve arranged special offers with our two favourite places to eat in Bazari Orbeliani, both right next door to FOMO:

• 10% off at La Focacceria

• 20% off at Potato Factory

• Potato Factory 2+1: buy two and get one free

• Potato Factory 3+2: buy three and get two free

Simply show your Fienta ticket when ordering. You’re welcome to eat in the Sherekilebi Bar at FOMO Secret Cinema or upstairs at FOMO Open-Air Cinema. Tell them where you’ll be sitting and they’ll bring your food to you.

FOOD AND DRINK POLICY: SHEREKILEBI Bar in FOMO Secret Cinema opens 1 hour before the first screening of the day and closes at 01:30, serving a wide selection of beer, wine, cocktails, and non-alcoholic refreshments including coffee and tea, as well as fresh hot popcorn! Outside food is allowed in the bar but not in the cinema. No alcohol or drinks from outside are allowed. All guests are invited to arrive early and stay late!

LOCATION: FOMO Secret Cinema, Bazari Orbeliani, Tbilisi. A five minute walk from Liberty Square metro.

HOW TO FIND FOMO: Enter Bazari Orbeliani via Atoneli St above Carrefour and take the stairs on your left to Level 1. Signage on the door. You can also check our Instagram story highlights for a video showing exactly how to find us: https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE3OTMzMTA2Mjk0MDI5MjM1

REFUND & CREDIT POLICY: If FOMO cancels a screening, all ticket holders will receive a full refund. If your plans change and you can no longer attend, we’ll issue you a credit for the value of your ticket, which can be used for any FOMO film screening within the following 30 days. Please notify us in advance so we can release your seat to another film fan.

TICKETS are also available at SHEREKILEBI Bar on arrival unless sold out.