Skip to main content
The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed film image

The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed

This event has passed

While coping with the usual workaday demands of life in New York City, Ann (Joanna Arnow), a thirty-something Jewish woman with a taste for BDSM sex, struggles to maintain a series of casual relationships with various “masters.” When one of her long-term partners suddenly ends things, however, she is forced to reflect on what she really wants out of life. The question is whether she can figure this out before it’s too late. One of the year’s most distinctive and accomplished debut features, The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed showcases Arnow, who also wrote and directed the film, in a fearless and uninhibited lead performance as Ann. Witty, wry, and sexually frank, the film also demonstrates Arnow’s remarkable directorial control, featuring precise, static compositions that draw out physical humour in most every scene. Shot on a shoestring budget, this perceptive, off-kilter comedy finds endless amusement in the uncomfortable, even absurd ways that our bodies move through the world.

Audaciously raw, revealing, and excruciatingly funny.
RogerEbert.com

Director
Cast

Joanna Arnow, Scott Cohen, Babak Tafti

Credits
Country of Origin

USA

Year

2023

Series

Panorama

Language

English

Film Contact
Content Warning

Strong Sexual Content

18+

At International Village

19+

At The Rio

87 min
Comedy Drama Women Directors

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Credits

Executive Producer

Sean Baker, Adam Mirels, Roberts Mirels.

Producer

Graham Swon, Pierce Varous

Screenwriter

Joanna Arnow

Cinematography

Barton Cortright

Editor

Joanna Arnow

Production Design

Grace Sloan

Original Music

Robinson Senpauroca

Director

Joanna Arnow headshot

Joanna Arnow

Joanna Arnow is a filmmaker, actor and writer based in Brooklyn. She wrote and directed Bad at Dancing, a narrative short that was awarded the Berlinale Silver Bear Jury Prize and is currently streaming on the Criterion Channel paired with Jules and Jim. Joanna’s most recent short Laying Out premiered at New York Film Festival and was selected as a festival highlight in The New Yorker. In addition to making films, Joanna works as an actor and writer. As an actor, she has appeared in Aaron Schimberg’s Chained for Life, Zach Fleming’s Staycation, Todd Verow’s Fucked in the Head, Kati Skelton’s Wet Shapes, and more. Joanna also writes fiction and draws comics. Her pieces have been published in Glimmer Train Press, Popula, Monkeybicycle, Crack the Spine, Nanoism and Dogzplot.

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

Glory

Dir. Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov
101 min

In this timely Bulgarian satire, a railway linesman discovers millions of banknotes beside the train tracks. When he reports the money rather than pocketing it, it sets off a darkly hilarious chain of events.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Amadou & Mariam: The Blind Couple From Mali

Dir. Ryan Marley
87 min

This lovely portrait of the irresistible Malian musicians traces how the blind couple met in Bamako and instantly connected, their triumphs on the world stage and collaborations with the likes of Chris Martin, Damon Albarn and Manu Chao.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World

Dir. Sasha Waters
91 min

Sasha Waters' documentary takes us through the life of America's best-selling late twentieth century poet, a private woman who shared her innermost thoughts and made them indispensable.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Before Sunrise

Dir. Richard Linklater
101 min

An American backpacker (Ethan Hawke) meets a French girl (Julie Delpy) on the train to Vienna. They decide to spend the next 14 hours together until it's time for his flight. They walk and talk. This brief encounter will mark the rest of their lives.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Mistura

Dir. Ricardo de Montreuil
97 min

This foodie film from Peru tells the story of a newly single socialite reinventing herself — and the local cuisine — after her husband has left her for a younger woman. Along the way, she finds support from unexpected places...

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Clueless

Dir. Amy Heckerling
97 min

Riffing on Jane Austen's Emma, Amy Heckerling's satiric portrait of California rich kids has oodles of charm and wit, and a winning performance from Alicia Silverstone as 15-year-old mall rat Cher.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre