Much lurks beneath the bearded surface of one George Lucas, such as whatever anti-capitalist freak spirit inhabited him while creating his feature debut. Sci-fi cinema at its most dystopian, this film portrays a world devoid of emotion and connection that the titular main character must escape from following a failure at his factory job. Terrifyingly minimalist, chillingly prescient, and frighteningly co-produced by that madman Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope: Lucas’ first film veers as far from the warm nostalgic womb of Star Wars as anything can. Screens as part of We Luv’s Pulsing Cinema series. – James Scott