Past Present Future Films of Ideas: My Dinner with Andre w/Lee Hall
Dec 21, 2025
Lee Hall, acclaimed playwright behind hits like Billy Elliot and Rocketman, dives into the rich themes of Louis Malle's My Dinner with Andre. He discusses the film's unique two-hander structure and the philosophical debates between its characters, exploring topics like capitalism, privilege, and the nature of performance. Hall shares his personal encounters with Andre Gregory and reflects on the film's lasting cultural impact, while also navigating the fine line between authenticity and performance in art. It's a thought-provoking chat layered with humor and depth.
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Theatre Meets Neoliberal Breakpoint
- The film captures a specific cultural moment when experimental theatre and spiritual seeking collided in 1960s–70s New York.
- That moment also presaged neoliberal decline and urban austerity, which the film senses as historical change.
Haunted By Historical Trauma
- The film is haunted by transgenerational trauma and the Holocaust, threading Jewish history through its themes of civilization versus barbarism.
- André's background and references to Grotowski and Poland anchor the movie in questions about historical precarity.
Precision Makes Two Hours Riveting
- The movie works because Wallace Shawn's writing is highly wrought, Chekhovian and deliberately structured.
- Louis Malle's direction condensed a longer performance into a precise cinematic drama where every line serves multiple purposes.