Two films “Passages” and “Lola” open at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center Sept. 22.

Trailer for "Passages"

Celebrated filmmaker Ira Sachs (Love is Strange) makes a breathtaking return with “Passages,” a fresh, honest and brutally funny take on messy, modern relationships, starring Franz Rogowski (Great Freedom), Ben Whishaw (Women Talking) and Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue Is the Warmest Colour). Set in Paris, this seductive drama tells the story of Tomas (Rogowski) and Martin (Whishaw), a gay couple whose marriage is thrown into crisis when Tomas begins a passionate affair with Agathe (Exarchopoulos), a younger woman he meets after completing his latest film.

Perceptive, intimate and unashamedly sexy, “Passages” sees Sachs bridge his usually tender style with a uniquely European sensibility, providing an insightful and authentic take on the complexities, contradictions and cruelties of love and desire.

“Passages” is unrated and contains adult content. It is showing at the Ross through Oct. 5.

Trailer for "Lola"

In “Lola,” set in 1941, music-loving sisters Thomasina (Emma Appleton, Everything I Know About Love) and Martha (Stefanie Martini, Prime Suspect 1973) build a machine called LOLA which can intercept broadcasts from the future. While the sisters initially use the machine for small ventures like becoming the first fans of 1970’s music, they soon realise that it may hold the key to defeating the Nazis. LOLA proves to be massively effective in shifting the tide of the war, but as Thomasina begins to become carried away with the level of power the machine holds over the future, the sisters soon discover the world-altering consequences of their actions.

Featuring original music by Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy and shot on 16mm and 35mm film stock, LOLA is directed by Andrew Legge from a script he co-wrote with Angeli Macfarlane (Death of a President) with 16 and 35mm photography by Oona Menges. LOLA also stars Rory Fleck Byrne (This Is Going to Hurt), Aaron Monaghan (Assassin’s Creed), and Hugh O’Conor (Chocolat).

“Lola” is not rated and is showing at the Ross through Sept. 28.

Learn more about the films, including show times and ticket availability.