BY ANDREW SOBOEIRO

Newsroom Intern

From Thursday, Dec. 29, through Monday, Jan. 2, the Sunrise Theater will be showing Simon Curtis' new film, "My Week With Marilyn."

Set in the mid-1950s, "My Week With Marilyn" tells the (purportedly true) story of English writer and director Colin Clark.

While working on the set of "The Prince and the Showgirl" in 1956, Clark supposedly met Monroe and began a weeklong affair with her. The film follows the couple's exploits during that week.

Monroe is portrayed as more vulnerable outside of the public sphere, using Clark to explore the city of London and indulge her more carefree tendencies. The affair is cited as a contributing factor to the failure of Monroe's marriage to Arthur Miller.

Longtime Sunrise Preservation volunteer Ron Sutton commented on the upcoming screening.

"We feel very fortunate to have 'Marilyn,'" he says. "I don't know much about it, except that the actress [Michelle Williams] was nominated for a Golden Globe for this role. I've seen her in the previews, and she looks uncannily like Marilyn."

Sutton says that the plight of Marilyn Monroe was essential to his generation's understanding of womanhood.

"I went from seeing her as some blonde bombshell to an example of someone who lived a really sad life," he says. "It's unfortunate that anyone should have to go through what she experienced."

The film stars Michelle Williams as Monroe, Eddie Redmayne as Clark, Kenneth Branagh as Sir Laurence Olivier, and Emma Watson (Hermione in the Harry Potter films) in a cameo role.

Moviegoers may recognize Branagh as Gilderoy Lockheart from "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" or as Hamlet from the 1996 version of "Hamlet." This is his first major role since his appearance in the 2007 film "Sleuth."

Michelle Williams attained fame in the late 1990s with her role in the popular teen drama series "Dawson's Creek." She has since appeared in "Brokeback Mountain," "Shutter Island" and "Blue Valentine," winning numerous nominations and awards in the process.

English actor and model Eddie Redmayne is relatively new to the silver screen. His work has mainly been in professional live theater. In 2010, he won the Tony Award for his role in "Red."

The film is based on Clark's autobiography of the same name, as well as his published diary.

Tickets are available at the box office; (910) 692-3611.

Andrew Soboeiro is a student at UNC-Chapel Hill.