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March 14, 2007
Afterparty
Attending a film festival is a study in contrasts - not just in terms of the pictures seen, but in the peaks and valleys that narrowly separate my reaction to them. I saw The Devil Comes On Horseback this afternoon, a documentary on the Darfur genocide that contained some of the most horrific and affecting images of human suffering I've ever seen; and then, a few hours later, I found myself chuckling along with the rest of the theater as a woman's head was beaten in with a fire extinguisher in The Signal. It's a wild rollercoaster of input; I'm alway sort of waiting for that one film that can't be filed away in favor of the next consecutive cinematic experience, that demands reflection. I haven't found it yet.
But I have been slowing down a lot this year. I've only seen fourteen features so far (and quite a few shorts). From those, here are two capsule reviews and a handful of lazy comparisons.
- I was really impressed with Ry Russo Young's Orphans, a lovely portrait of two sisters whose intertwined psychological scars keep dragging each other down. Ry cited Three Women, Persona and Cries And Whispers as major influences, but the film, with its desolate wintry landscapes and familial dynamics, also reminded me quite a bit of Bergman's Autumn Sonata. But Bergman, as in touch with the fairer psyche as he might have been, was still approaching his subjects from the outside, and one of the things I love about Orphans is that it's so exquisitely feminine. I also loved looking at it; the production design, full of pale, dilapidated pastels, is gorgeous, as are the costumes; Russo clad her actresses in ornate party dresses for large parts of the films, and I love the image of one of the sisters walking down a hospital corridor, the long train of her gown spilling out from under her heavy winter coat and trailing along the dirty floor.
- Ronald Bronstein's Frownland is one of the most unpleasant film experiences I've had in a long time, and as such I couldn't be happier that it won a special jury prize last night. This is a film that grates, that antagonizes, and absolutely does not flinch in its dedication to its sad sack of characters and their vague, frequently pathetic attempts to better their lives. The last twenty minutes are almost unbearably intense and disorienting, with a pulsating sonic landscape that seems designed to induce nausea; it's not fun, but what it does it does exceedingly well. I'm really glad Matt Dentler had the guts to program such a defiantly difficult work, and I hope other festivals follow suit.
- People have been saying that Ti West's Trigger Man is basically Old Joy with guns, and I don't think that's true at all. It's Gerry with guns.
- An Audience Of One is an amazing documentary that can best be described as Jesus Camp meets American Movie.
- I haven't put my finger on why Hannah Takes The Stairs reminds me so much of Antonioni's L'Eclisse, but it does.
The film festival's closing night party was last night; as always, movies will continue until Saturday, but familiar faces have started to disappear and the buzz in the air is beginning to dissipate. Now it's time to play catch-up.
Posted by David Lowery at March 14, 2007 11:01 AM