This December, Cinephile Paradiso invites you to a screening of Billy Wilder’s ruthless noir-satire, Sunset Boulevard. 

Sunset Boulevard follows Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), an ageing silent film diva who refuses to accept that her stardom is over. She hopes for a second shot at fame when she hires a young struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden) to write her next comeback film. However, their partnership takes a dangerous turn as Gillis is made prisoner to Norma’s demented fantasy world. 

Sunset Boulevard is a compelling portrait of women’s ongoing struggles against sexism. The film tells a tale of hanging onto the dream of Hollywood, an unforgiving place that’s so quick to let you go.