Every month, we elect a standout volunteer to pick a film they want to see on the big screen. This month, it’s the wonderful Bekah Botts, and her pick is Jonathan Demme’s 1991 thriller The Silence of the Lambs!

Often imitated but never topped, the film is about Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), a recent FBI academy graduate whose shrewd analyses of serial killers lands her a high-stakes case involving a murderer who skins his victims. Looking for unique insight into the case, Clarice’s superiors direct her to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. As she tries to pry information from Hannibal, Clarice begins to wonder if she’s being manipulated by the posh prisoner.

Winner of multiple major Academy Awards, Demme’s smart, taut thriller teeters on the edge between psychological study and all-out horror.

“Anthony Hopkins’ performance as Lecter is an uproarious technical masterpiece.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

“Hopkins’ performance is spectacularly unnerving and should win him future award nominations. Holding her own against Hopkins’ hare is Jodie Foster as the tenacious, tortoise-like trainee.” – Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter

“Demme’s use of close-ups is remarkable, and not something that’s translated into contemporary film language too often anymore: Faces, eyes, hands; they’re everywhere, making the suspense personal, and therefore way more frightening.” – Eric Melin, Scene-Stealers.com