After rushing back from Park City, Mel and I said our goodbye's to Kurt and headed out, with Deb to a filmmaker reception down in Salt Lak. It turns out that a student from the U of U had his film accepted into this year's Sundance. Some of the faculty from the University threw a small reception for him at teh Cedars Restaurant downtown. The young filmmaker, Alex Haworth, was excited to be screening his film, "The Deep", preceding the feature film; "Quid Pro Quo". We all enjoyed some social activity and then walked a short distance to the Broadway Cinemas, where the double bill was screening. After a brief intro of each film, the show began. First up was Alex's film and we all waited with much anticipation.
A seven minute short featuring only one actor, "The Deep" was a futuristic look into the solitude of the character's life. Narrated with a wonderful sense of intricacy and care, the monologue was smart and sensitive, revealing the loneliness of the lead actor. The imagery was dark and yet filled with color found within the work environment, filled with machinery , mechanical devices, and a multitude of other Industrial mainstays. The filmmaker showed deliberate care, using elements of experimental filmmaking, but never losing track of the storyline. I loved the imagery, the monologue, and the professionalism shown in this student film. Mr. Haworth happens to be the youngest filmmaker at Sundance this year, but his filmmaking shows a maturity that is rare even among seasoned veterans. Look for great things from Alex!
Carlos Brooks' "Quid Pro Quo" is a dark story, following Isaac, a public radio announcer who just happens to be paraplegic. He is immersed into a World of "wanna-be handicaps", people who for one reason or another are envious of Isaac's handicap, and crave to be stricken to a wheelchair. Some choose to just "pretend" and still more extreme cases desire to be afflicted with a REAL handicap, going to extremes as severe as taking drugs, bribing doctors for amputation, or anything else that might stricken them to a wheelchair. He soon meets Fiona, who is pointing Isaac toward the extremes of this group of wanna-be's, finally revealing to Isaac that she too wants to be disabled. They develop a relationship, her falling deeper into her disabled desires, while Isaac finds hope in a pair of shoes. The relationship turns into a physical attraction and eventually spirals nearly out of control. Isaac's handicap was caused by a car accident that killed his parents and left Isaac a paraplegic. But what is Fiona's motivation?
Shot with a wonderful eye, and directed to perfection, the film reveals the streets of New York. Nick Stahl and Vera Farmiga are brilliant in their respective roles as Isaac and Fiona. I was so very moved by the story and the believable performances of the entire cast. The pairing of "The Deep" and "Quid Pro Quo" was a brilliant choice by the Sundance programmers and I applaud them for their choices regarding this program.
I rushed off to my next film, at the adjoining theater at the Broadway, another double bill with Thomas Barndt's short film "The Mark" and the Zellner Brothers' feature, "Goliath". "The Mark" was simply a bizarre, experimental jaunt into a disturbing group of individuals. I wish I could say more about the film, but I just couldn't wrap my head around this one. It was bizarre, disjointed, and played out with rough cuts and questionable choices. I was especially disappointed, as I had so much LOVED Mr. Barndt's previous film,: "The Walking Ink".
The feature, "Goliath", told the story of a loser and his struggles to get his life together. Faced with a divorce, the male lead seems without direction and lacking any desire to make things better. To add to his agony, his cat, "Goliath", goes missing, and he's forced to scour the neighborhood in hopes of finding his beloved pet, only to find Goliath dead on the roadside. A sequence of events seems to spiral out of control, as the character tries to find answers, blaming others for his troubles and losses, and eventually forced to make choices.
"Goliath" was shot organically, on video, with low light, barren sets, and little hope. The raw look of the film helps establish the character, but at the same time left the audience wishing for a bit more across the board. The lack of score through most of the film also deterred from the audience's particpation. All that, combined with it being a late film, practically put me to sleep at times. I don't know, Sundance garnered so much praise on the Zellner Brothers, but I certainly did not find their style overly endearing. I'd have to see it again when I am totally awake, maybe after 10 cups of coffee, but I doubt that my opinion would change. There were glimmers of hope and moments of good humor, but they were not strong enough or frequent enough to carry the film, as people continued to leave the theater every few minutes. I'll try another Zellner film before i dismiss their talents, but I'll be holding my breath while crossing my fingers in anticipation of some redemption for this filmmaker pair.
That was the end of my Saturday. Sunday would be a day of NO films and NO commitments. We'll talk more tomorrow, when we discuss the Award winners that were announced on Saturday evening.
In the meantime... butter up the popcorn, turn down the lights, and crank up that projector. The show is about to begin.
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