NO FEAR, NO DIE is a rarely-screened early masterpiece from the legendary Claire Denis (Beau Travail), presented in a glistening brand-new 4K restoration.

Awash in ’90s style and nocturnal atmosphere, Claire Denis’ rarely screened second film No Fear, No Die plunges us into a seedy underworld on the outskirts of Paris. One night from the back of an anonymous truck emerges Jocelyn (Alex Descas), a hard-up but stoic and elegant man from the Caribbean, with his Beninese friend Dah (Isaach de Bankolé) in tow. The two have been summoned to suss out a potential arena for clandestine, illegal cock fighting at the behest of a louche restaurateur in ill-fitting Dior (Jean-Claude Brialy), an old acquaintance of Jocelyn’s mother. Amid this ramshackle no man’s land, buried within the labyrinthine confines of the off-the-highway restaurant cum nightclub complex, they live among the roosters that they fastidiously feed, train, and brutally fight for money. “No fear, no die” is the name of a prized white bird that Jocelyn grows attached to, the thought of its death increasingly unbearable ― not unlike his solitude, disillusionment, and longing for home.

Told through Dah’s clear-eyed, unemotional point-of-view, Denis’ film is a fascinating and extremely visceral character study of two marginalized men: their unspoken solidarity, resistance, and dignity, as well as the high stakes of their survival. “Drawing inspiration from the writings of Frantz Fanon, the ruggedly unsentimental and psychologically evocative No Fear No Die is a forceful examination of the lives of immigrants in France and of the psychic toll of the violence imposed by colonizers upon the colonized.” (NYFF)

“[The start of] one of the most startling runs of inspiration in contemporary cinema.” -New York Review of Books

“One of the most heart-wrenching films ever made.” -Artforum

“Elegant, spare, poetic, uncomfortably quiet, and, at times, inscrutable, NO FEAR, NO DIE is a little-known masterwork in the oeuvre of Denis.” -Senses of Cinema

THEATER POLICIES

All seats are first-come, first-served.

The theater opens 30 minutes prior to showtime, except for “Happy Hour” events and pre-shows when the theater opens at the listed start time.

All ages are welcome at Arkadin except for Drinkolas Cage events, which are restricted to 21+. We follow the MPAA rating guidelines for all other films.

Tickets can be purchased using the BUY TICKETS link above. Upon ordering, you will receive a confirmation email from Square. Tickets may also be purchased on the day of the show at the concession counter.

If you’ve purchased advance tickets, when you arrive, please give your name at the concession counter to check in.

Tickets are returnable by sending a request through the contact form located on our About Us page prior to showtime.

When an event is sold out, we reserve the right to release open seats to customers on the waitlist. If you have a pre-purchased ticket and arrive late and there is no seat for you, your ticket will be refunded.

All screenings are held in our indoor theater unless indicated otherwise in the event description above.

Please respect your fellow movie-goers by remaining quiet and refraining from using your cell phone throughout the screening.