Shot in the wilds of Nova Scotia's coastal forests during an icy, brutal spring, Canadian independent filmmaker Seth Smith's black-and-white fantasy film Lowlife is a surrealist, lo-fi horror head trip. Ultimately an exploration of the relationship between a drug and its user, the story follows a lonely musician as he tries to rekindle things with his equally-troubled companion. Unfortunately, he just can't give up his messy addiction to the psychedelic insides of slimy, goo-covered starfish. Full of sludge, slugs, bugs and grime, the film's visuals recall David Lynch's Eraserhead. The experimental soundtrack, matching the film's balance between dreaminess and discomfort, features ambient music and noise by local soundscape artist Grant Evans under the name Nova Scotian Arms, alongside Burzum, Grouper, Pulse Emitter and Mike Shiflet. This one-night-only event will be the film's second U.S. screening.

10:30 p.m. $5. www.athenscine.com