Screen Scene: ‘The Tribe’ at the Orpheum, ‘Minions’ in theaters

▪ “The Tribe” – This next film in the Tallgrass Film Association’s “Indie at the Orpheum” film series is an intense, raw look at the volatile world of a Ukrainian high school for the deaf, starring real-life deaf actors. There is no verbal dialogue in the film; it’s all told in sign language, and there are no subtitles – we don’t need them. It all makes for a visceral cinematic experience.

The story follows a deaf teenager’s harrowing experiences after he moves into the boarding school and finds that he must toughen up if he’s going to join the school’s all-ruling gang of misfit criminals, who run a prostitution ring with their female classmates.

The film has won numerous international awards and will be shown at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Orpheum, 200 N. Broadway. Tickets are $10. Be warned: It’s not for the faint-hearted. It contains brutal violence, near-explicit sex and nudity.

▪ “Minions” – The lovable yellow creatures from the “Despicable Me” films get their own starring vehicle, as Minions Stuart, Kevin and Bob go on a hunt for a new evil leader to serve, and find one in Scarlet Overkill (voice of Sandra Bullock), a supervillain who – surprise! – wants to take over the world.

▪ “The Gallows” – Horror tale set 20 years after a freak accident killed a teenager during a high school play performance, where students stage another production of the same play, with – surprise again! – bad consequences.

▪ “Self/less” – Oscar winner Ben Kingsley stars a wealthy disease-stricken man who undergoes an expensive procedure that injects his mind into a younger, fit body that looks like Ryan Reynolds. Technology rules!

▪ “Anita” – The 20th season of the Mid-Kansas Jewish Federation’s Jewish Summer Film Series, co-sponsored with the Wichita Art Museum, continues with this drama about a young woman with Down syndrome named Anita who lives a happy, routine life in Buenos Aires, being meticulously cared for by her mother. But one tragic morning changes everything when Anita is left alone, confused and helpless after a bombing. Showing at 2 p.m. Sunday (with English subtitles) in the art museum’s Howard E. Wooden Lecture Hall. Admission is free.

▪ “Empire of the Sun” – This sweeping 1987 drama stars a young Christian Bale as an English boy who struggles to survive in Shanghai under Japanese occupation during World War II. This next installment in the “Summer of Spielberg” film series will be shown at 7 p.m. Monday at the Orpheum. Tickets are $5; $4 for students, seniors and military.

▪ “Scarface” – Say hello to Al Pacino’s little friend! This 1983 classic is the next installment in the “Return of the Cults” film series, set in 1980 Miami, where a determined Cuban immigrant (Pacino) takes over a drug cartel while succumbing to greed. Showing at 7 and 10 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at Warren Old Town. Tickets are $5.

This story was originally published July 10, 2015 at 10:30 AM with the headline "Screen Scene: ‘The Tribe’ at the Orpheum, ‘Minions’ in theaters."