The Melbourne Cinémathèque & ACMI present
Summer of Sam
When
Wed 22 Jul 2026
See below for additional related events
Lee’s take on the infamous “Son of Sam” murders – in which serial killer David Berkowitz went on a 13-month spree in New York City, killing six people and wounding eleven – focuses on the events’ erosion of trust between the residents of a largely Italian-American neighbourhood in the Bronx during the late 1970s.
Criticised at the time of release for its profanity and violence, this maximalist crime thriller’s portrait of white America “now seems nuanced, sympathetic, and tragically prophetic” (Jackson Arn). With John Leguizamo, Mira Sorvino, Adrien Brody and Lee himself as a TV reporter.
35mm print courtesy of the National Film and Sound Archive, Australia.
Films in this program
There are no upcoming related events at this time.
About Melbourne Cinémathèque
Australia's longest-running film society, Melbourne Cinémathèque screens significant works of international cinema in the medium they were created, the way they would have originally screened.
Melbourne Cinémathèque is self-administered, volunteer-run, not-for-profit and membership-driven.
