Viggo Mortensen hosts Panida showing of The Dead Don’t Hurt

By Reader Staff

Viggo Mortensen, three-time nominee for the Academy Award for Best Actor, will return to the Panida Theater (300 N. First Ave.) on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m. to showcase his recent film The Dead Don’t Hurt. The event will be a joint fundraiser to support the independent, community-owned radio station 88.5 KRFY as well as the historic Panida Theater.

Mortensen speaks to audience members at a screening of his film Captain Fantastic at the Panida in 2017. Courtesy photo.

The Dead Don’t Hurt, released in North America on May 31, is the story of two lovers, war and revenge on the frontier in the early 1860s. 

The updated western offers a unique female perspective by following the life of Vivienne Le Cloudy (Vicky Krieps) when the man she loves (Viggo Mortensen) leaves to fight in the American Civil War. After a five-year absence, the lovers try to pick up the threads of their old life and grapple with the change and strife they’ve faced since last they saw each other.

The film is Mortensen’s personal and most involved project — he not only stars alongside Luxembourgish-German actor Krieps, but also wrote, directed, co-produced and composed the score for the project. 

Mortensen’s upcoming appearance marks his third time on the Panida stage for a screening and question-and-answer session, following A Dangerous Method in 2012 and Captain Fantastic in 2017. The event was listed as “sold out” at press time.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show begins at 7:30 p.m. For more information visit panida.org and krfy.org.