Death and dying abound in Marco Ferreri's Dillinger Is Dead. Considered a masterpiece of Italian art-house cinema, Dillinger stars Michel Piccoli as a disenfranchised man who finds a gun tucked away in a kitchen cabinet. (The gun is wrapped in a newspaper that has a headline announcing the death of American gangster John Dillinger.) The pistol becomes a plaything for him (he paints it red with white polka dots), but things become more serious when he uses it to pretend to commit suicide over and over. Before the end credits roll, someone lies dead. Dark and satirical, the story is a blend of fantasy and absurdity. 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. Sunday. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet. For information, call 713-639-7515 or visit www.mfah.org. $6 to $7.
Fri., July 24, 7 p.m.; Sat., July 25, 7 p.m.; Sun., July 26, 5 p.m., 2009