“V for Vendetta,” August 27

Wednesday, August 27, 7 p.m.

Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL

With review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes' hailing the dystopian thriller as "visually stunning and thought-provoking," director James McTeigue's 2006 hit V for Vendetta enjoys a special August 27 screening as part of Rozz-Tox's community series Filmosofia, this evening in Rock Island also boasting a reading discussion on the movie's philosophical themes hosted by Augustana College's Dr. Deke Gould.

Set against the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain, and with its script written by The Matrix creators Lana and Lilly Wachowski, V for Vendetta tells the story of a mild-mannered young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman), who is rescued from a life situation by a masked guy known only as "V" (Hugo Weaving). Incomparably charismatic and skilled in the art of combat, V detonates two London landmarks and takes over the government, urging his fellow citizens to rise up. As Evey uncovers the truth about V's mysterious background, she also discovers the truth about herself and emerges as V's unlikely ally in the culmination of his plot to bring freedom and justice back to a society fraught with cruelty and corruption.

Based on the 1988–89 DC Vertigo Comics limited-series graphic novel by Alan Moore, David Lloyd, and Tony Weare, V for Vendetta had grossed $134,686,457 by the end of its 2006 run, of which $70,511,035 was from the United States. The film was also successful in terms of merchandise sales, with hundreds of thousands of Guy Fawkes masks from the film having been sold every year since the film's release. Famously and/or notoriously, some political groups have seen V for Vendetta as an allegory of oppression by government, while certain anarchist sects have used it to promote their beliefs. The film is credited for popularizing the use of the Guy Fawkes mask by anti-establishment political groups and activities, and as David Lloyd stated to BBC News: "The Guy Fawkes mask has now become a common brand and a convenient placard to use in protest against tyranny – and I'm happy with people using it, it seems quite unique, an icon of popular culture being used this way."

V for Vendetta will be shown in the Filmosofia series on August 27, and the 7 p.m. screening will be preceded by a 6:30 p.m. discussion on a selection from Michael Huemer's 2013 book The Problem of Political Authority: An Examination of the Right to Coerce and the Duty to Obey (print copies available at the venuue). The screening will followed by Dr. Deke Gould's discussion of the movie, admission to the all-ages event is free, and more information is available by calling (309)200-0978 and visiting RozzTox.com.