NEW YORK.- The Museum of Modern Art presents a retrospective of American filmmaker Chris Smith, whose films touch on some of the more curious aspects of the American dream, from August 29 through September 1, 2008. The weekend-long exhibition comprises his four independent works—American Job (1996), American Movie (1999), Home Movie (2001), and The Yes Men (2003)—and culminates with a preview screening of The Pool, which is scheduled for theatrical release at New York’s Film Forum on September 3. Chris Smith: American Original is organized by Laurence Kardish, Senior Curator, Department of Film.

Wry, empathetic, and wise, Wisconsin-born Smith’s films occupy a special niche in contemporary cinema. His first feature, American Job, portrays the dispiriting nature of much minimum wage work; American Movie follows an irrepressible young director cobbling together a regional horror film; Home Movie focuses on eccentric abodes that express the personalities of their owners; and The Yes Men is a “performance diary” of activist pranksters who infiltrate international conferences.

His most recent feature, The Pool, is the director’s return to fiction. Set in Goa, India, it is a deeply moving narrative about the intersecting lives of a young hotel worker, an orphaned boy, and the owner of a swimming pool.

“The Pool is one of the most satisfying and unusual films of the year,” said Mr. Kardish. “The locale may be exotic to American audiences, but its story is universal and, like a Satyajit Ray film, extremely moving.”