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"The two films I’ve chosen both portray distinct stories of outcasts (who are running away, both literally and metaphorically). Though the settings and contexts of the films are different, they share a sense of bleakness—conveyed both in image and story—and ultimately, the hope of transcending that bleakness. Both films were made at distinct moments just before the business of filmmaking changed and new genres developed: They Live by Night was made just before film noir’s moment, and Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner hit theaters just before the British New Wave. The beautiful black and white montages, close shots, and distant landscapes of these films changed conventional thinking about filmmaking, and eventually defined these newly-named genres. Both Ray and Richardson offer the perfect amalgamation of risk, art, and structure."—Steve Gunn