Writer-director Alex Ross Perry (CHRISTOPHER ROBIN) re-unites with his QUEEN OF EARTH and LISTEN UP PHILIP star Elisabeth Moss (TV's Mad Men, The Handmaid's Tale) to tell the story of toxic punk-rocker Becky Something, the talented but self-destructive frontwoman of the riot girl-esque Something She, who seems determined to alienate everyone around her -- even at the cost of her own band's success. Told through a series of five vignettes that cover critical moments in a ten-year period, the film is held together by a gripping lead performance from Moss, who shines as the enigmatic and deeply troubled Becky. At times, the HER SMELL has the technical feel of an experimental art-film as it navigates through Becky and her band's highs and lows. Surrounding Moss is an impressive supporting cast that includes Agyness Deyn, Eric Stoltz, Dan Stevens, Virginia Madsen, Cara Delevingne, Gayle Rankin, Ashley Benson, and Amber Heard.

"Drawing from examples of experiential filmmaking by the likes of John Cassavetes and Paul Thomas Anderson, filmmaker Alex Ross Perry whips his characters and sequences into a frenzy of substance abuse and personal combustion as we follow Becky through backstage antics and hostile recording sessions." (TIFF)

"As a ranting, drug-addled mess, Moss is magnetic, drawing your eye to her every move in an Oscar-worthy performance." (BITCH)

"Resembling a fictionalised, feminised version of 'Dig!', the documentary classic about the demise of Brian Jonestown Massacre and their lead singer Anton Newcombe, HER SMELL is built around a performance of near-unwatchable toxicity by Elisabeth Moss, who channels a combination of Courtney Love and Heath Ledger’s Joker with her spiteful, slowly imploding rock star." (The Guardian)

"Some may not have the stomach for it, and yet Moss' oscillating, energy-devouring performance and the real-time composition of Perry's scenes make it almost impossible to look away." (Vulture)

"Elisabeth Moss is one of the most noxious movie characters of all time in this brave and rewarding punk epic. Imagine if Danny Boyle’s 'Steve Jobs' was about Courtney Love in the mid-’90s and you’ll be on the right track... If the script evokes John Cassavetes, the aesthetic seems more inspired by Gaspar Noé." (Indiewire)

Monday, May 6 *Final screening!
Doors 8:15 pm | Movie 8:45 pm
Advance tickets $10.50 | $12.50 at the door

*Minors permitted in the balcony. (18A) Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service and main floor seating.
**Rio Theatre Groupons and passes OK! Please redeem at the door.

HER SMELL (Alex Ross Perry, 2019 / 135 mins / 18A) Becky Something is a '90s punk rock superstar who once filled arenas with her grungy all-female trio Something She. Now she plays smaller venues while grappling with motherhood, exhausted bandmates, nervous record company executives, and a new generation of rising talent eager to usurp her stardom. When Becky's chaos and excesses derail a recording session and national tour, she finds herself shunned, isolated and alone. Forced to get sober, temper her demons, and reckon with the past, she retreats from the spotlight and tries to recapture the creative inspiration that led her band to success.