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A woman with long blonde hair in a blue shirt tensely sits in a prison cafeteria opposite a male inmate in a orange jumpsuit during visitng hours.

The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd

In a small town in Oklahoma, Karen (Amanda Seyfried) finds work teaching creative writing at a nearby maximum security prison. One of the inmates in her class, Wilson Shedd (Scoot McNairy), takes a particular interest in expressing his feelings on paper—and in Karen’s warmth and generosity. What begins as a mutually protective relationship becomes a potential escape hatch for the two of them, each trapped by their own troubled pasts and searching for a way out.

Seyfried follows last year’s The Testament of Ann Lee with another captivating and luminous performance in this riveting drama, while McNairy (known for his roles in Argo and as Woody Guthrie in A Complete Unknown) excels as the multi-layered Shedd, a man both menacing and sympathetic. In his sixth feature as a director, celebrated actor Tim Blake Nelson (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, O Brother, Where Art Thou?) skillfully weaves together a complex story of emotional connection with a penetrating exploration of crime, punishment, and redemption.


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Event Information

Saturday, October 17, 2026
7:45pm

LOCATION
AMC NEWCITY 14
1500 N Clybourn Ave
Chicago, IL 60610

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ACCESSIBLITY OPTIONS
  • Closed Captions
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Tickets

Special Guests

Scheduled to attend:
Director Tim Blake Nelson and actor Scoot McNairy

Accessibility

Cinema/Chicago is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible environment at all our programs and events. All event venues are fully wheelchair accessible, with no-step entrances or ramp access and elevators. All venues offer wheelchair-designated spaces, companion seating, easy-access theater seating, and accessible restrooms. For accommodation requests, please email us at access@chicagofilmfestival.com, call us at 312-683-0121, x202, or complete our Accommodation Request Form.