Comedy absurdist Tim Heidecker brings his long-running character — Tim Heidecker — from the On Cinema podcast/web series/television universe to the big screen in Mister America, playing at BUFS this Thursday at 7 p.m.

Fans of Heidecker and collaborator Gregg Turkington will know the characters and some of the mockumentary’s key backstory from the decade-long, multi-incarnation On Cinema project, which features the two men reviewing movies against a backdrop of various preposterous events that contrast with their predictable film ratings (five popcorn bags out of five).

Heidecker’s trial for 20 counts of second-degree murder, which he beats only via mistrial, launches his vendetta against the prosecutor in the case and sets the groundwork for the film, which documents (mockuments?) his run for district attorney of San Bernardino, CA, in spite of the fact that he’s not an attorney and doesn’t live in the city.

“True to previous form, Mister America is more of a relaxed, giggly character study than one that treats gags like clockwork,” says Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com about the film’s comic spirit. “In a natural tonal shift, this restraint makes way for a melancholy rumination on Tim’s self-destructive narcissism, which gives the film its ultimate staying power.”

Tickets for all BUFS shows are available at the Film House in the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (PAC) on the evening of screenings. General admission is $9.50 or $7 for Film House members, plus tax. Free BUFS memberships are also available on screening nights.

Visit the BUFS web page for this season’s selection, with additional titles being added to the calendar as they are confirmed. Look for the red B that indicates a BUFS-hosted screening.

For more than 40 years, BUFS has been bringing the best in independent and art house cinema to the Niagara region. The society is supported by the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film in the Faculty of Social Sciences at Brock.