CAPSULE REVIEWS OF WFF FILMS
* denotes a Chronogram critical favorite
NARRATIVE FEATURES:
Any Day Now Dir. Travis Fine
It is 1979 and even West Hollywood gays are fired from jobs, are routinely hassled by cops, and are light years away from marriage equality. Alan Cumming is a fearless female impersonator who falls for closeted attorney Garret Delahunt. Together, they fight for the right to adopt an abandoned child with Down syndrome. Not only does this shameless tearjerker deliver operatic histrionics, but Cumming sings, too! Paging the Lifetime Channel.
Apartment in Athens Dir. Ruggero DiPaola
This high-budget historical drama seems out of place at WFF, but it tells a side of the Nazi scourge usually overlooked. A German captain uses a Greek family's apartment as his lodgings during occupation and makes them his servants. The father, a respected historian, struggles with his subjugation to evil as he watches his family transformed by the experience. Expansive emotions and period detail buoy a familliar story arc.
*Arcadia Dir. Olivia Silver
A father (the inestimable John Hawkes) has loaded his three kids in the car and is driving from New England to California. As the road trip wears on, the reasons for the journey, as well as the destination, grow murkier. Along the way, the kids learn tough lessons about life and love. Hawkes is alternately scary and tender, abetted nicely by the young leads. An understated yet powerfully realized work. Arcadiathefilm.com
Between Us Dir. Dan Mirvish
To appreciate the combustible stage works of Neil LaBute, watch a similar work that falls short. Carlo and Grace are ageing Greenwich Village bohemians. Cheryl and Joel, their friends since college, are wealthy Midwesterners. During two separate nights together, the four vent about lingering jealousies and broken dreams. Despite a talented cast—including Taye Diggs and Julia Stiles—the histrionics often misfire. Sample line: "This is your revenge for your mediocrity." Danmirvish.com
California Solo Dir. Marshall Lewy
Indie screen veteran Robert Carlyle is Lachlan MacAldonich, a former rock star trying to outdistance a tragic past that still haunts him. Carlyle fully inhabits the role of an alcoholic farm worker, and even the musician's chronically self-sabotaging behavior does not obscure the pain that motivates it. The relentless bleakness of the story is offset by its knowing look at the LA music scene and the beauty of the Valley fields. Californiasolo.com
*Dead Dad Dir. Ken J. Adachi
As far as eulogies go for a deceased parent, "Dad, you were weak and kind of a shithead" may fall short in eloquence. But the three adult children left behind suffered too long to sugarcoat their feelings. Now, they must decide how best to scatter the ashes of a man they still resent. Nicely observed emotional complexities, handled well by the engaging ensemble cast, surmount the recurring weird-for-its-own-sake flourishes. Deaddadmovie.com
*Electrick Children Dir. Rebecca Thomas
A brother and sister in flight from their family, which belongs to a cloistered Southern Utah cult, end up on the Las Vegas strip with a rock band. There, they are bombarded by every hedonistic pleasure previously unknown, from skateboarding to sex. The audacious plotline is enhanced with magic realism and adroitly navigated by an expert ensemble, especially Julia Garner and Liam Aiken as the fugitive sister and brother.
*Exit Elena Dir. Nathan Silver
Nathan Silver is either a genius or in need of counseling. The dichotomy makes this severely offbeat tale of a dysfunctional suburban Jewish family compelling. Elena is the young nurse hired to care for the grandmother while coping with the attentions of the family. Silver has cast his mother as the whiny matriarch and she tackles lines with a pain-inducing deadpan style. On second thought, forget the counseling; just make more films.
*First Winter Dir. Benjamin Dickinson
This emotionally raw indie film draws its substantial strength from a shrewd technique: Hire people to play variations of themselves and shoot the fictional story in the country house where they live. The resulting tale, about yoga students facing the end of the world, unfurls with a mounting dread, enhanced by unobtrusive direction and naturalistic acting that eschews scene-chewing. This film will linger stubbornly in the mind. (See an interview with the director and star.) Firstwintermovie.com
419 Dir. Ned Thorne
A careless young New York actor gets hooked by an e-mail scam after a vacation in South Africa and loses big money. When he vows revenge, two enabling friends reluctantly accompany him to Cape Town on a fool's mission. Told in a series of videocam segments, iPhone clips, and surveillance camera footage featuring a strong cast, the film builds with the intensity of a documentary-turned-nightmare. An elaborate hoax that will either prompt awe or annoyance.
I Am Not a Hipster Dir. Destin Daniel Cretton
Singer Brook Hyde is a sensitive artist—and a major asshole. He seems hell-bent on destroying his career while alienating fans and friends alike. But Brook's misanthropy stems from the recent death of his mother. As Hyde, Dominic Bogart tackles a complicated portrayal with gusto, rising above the film's narrative meanderings. San Diego artists and DJs make cameos in a thorny tale of redemption.
In Our Nature Dir. Brian Savelson
Two couples—father and son and their respective girlfriends—carrying a tangle of back-story conflicts converge by accident in a country cabin for a weekend. T'is the stuff from which drama springs. And so it does. There are no surprises here, but the earnest material is heartfelt enough to forgive the predictability. (See sidebar interview with the director, page 67.)
*La Brujula la Lleva el Muerto (The Compass Is Carried by the Dead Man) Dir. Arturo Pons
Reminiscent of the 1970 cult Western El Topo, this film is a sly, expansive, rambling allegory about the history of Mexico. Its humor is deadpan, its brutality sudden, its dialogue portentous. A mismatched group travels across the desert during an insurrection to find safety, evoking both The Canterbury Tales and The Wizard of Oz. The film's absurdities and existential noodling will keep stoned college students enchanted for a generation. Vimeo.com/31346353
Nor'easter Dir. Andrew Brotzman
Passions, religion, and the unwritten rules of a hermetic community converge in this unsettling character study. On an island off the New England coast, a family prays for the return of a son believed kidnapped. But answered prayers only bring tougher questions and the well-intentioned local priest, struggling with his own vows, tries to set everything right. Strong imagery and portrayals, notably by Liam Aiken (Electrick Children) and Broadway's Danny Burstein, offset an air of sensationalism. Noreasterfilm.com
Rhymes with Banana Dir. Joseph Muszynski & Peter Hutchings
This film is ripe for cult status by misfit teens. The gifted Zosia Mamet (TV's "Girls") and Jee Han Yung are struggling actors in Brooklyn who become obsessed with the new neighbor, Paul Iacono. Insisting he is a talent agent, they kidnap him and demand work. The story ebbs and flows—endearingly crazy is tough to sustain—but the set design is a triumph worthy of Wes Anderson.
2nd Serve Dir. Tim Kirkman
Director Kirkman is best known for his landmark Dear Jesse, a plea for tolerance from homophobic Senator Helms and a film version of David Drake's The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me. Here, he turns to romantic comedy, with Josh Hopkins of TV's "Cougartown" as a washed-up country club tennis player trying to restart his life. Hopkins's boyish charm struggles against the predictable plot mechanics that stall in '80s-era humor. Timkirkman.com
*Sparrows Dance Dir. Noah Buschel
Mirroring the trenchant observations of a short story, this tale of unlikely love in an increasingly disconnected Manhattan will puzzle before it charms. But stick with it. Marin Ireland is an unemployed actress suffering from severe OCD and Paul Sparks is the jazz saxophonist daylighting as a plumber whom she allows into her agoraphobic world. Theater actors Ireland and Sparks deliver expertly modulated performances in this fully-realized small gem. Onezerofilms.com
Strutter Dir. Allison Anders & Kurt Voss
Indie legend Anders has created a love letter to both the LA music scene and to low-budget film itself, depicting a group of slacker-rockers struggling to fulfill their dreams. The convoluted soap opera is beside the point; the oomph lies in its execution. Slapstick situations, presented in a flattened black-and-white cinematography, infuses the story with a deadpan stoner goofiness. But you must first find charm in the unpolished acting.
The Unlikely Girl, Dir. Wei Ling Chang
Reminiscent of the stylish works of bad boy François Ozon, this film strives equally to titillate and confound. Three longtime pals in Southern France play host to a student from Iowa who isn't accustomed to moody young adults who smoke Gauloises and play mind games. But the biggest put-on is planned for the audience, as the plotlines grow more twisted. Unlike Ozon, Chang strains to create his revelations, but the leads are sexy enough to forgive the missteps.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES:
*Bad Brains: Band in DC Dir. Mandy Stein & Benjamen Logan
The directors gleefully throw everything at the screen and come up with a film as hyperkinetic as its subject: the pioneering African-American punk band. A go-for-broke depiction of the group and their era. (See an interview with co-director Mandy Stein.)
*Chasing Ice Dir. Jeff Orlowski
For that remaining few (including Romney) who claim global warming is an elaborate tree-hugger myth, photographer James Balog has crossed the globe to capture tangible evidence in the form of dramatically melting glaciers. The genial Balog is admittedly obsessive, but heartfelt in a years-long mission that brings logistical problems. Breathtaking and jarring photography and powerful animation make the science of this disturbing phenomenon accessible and indisputable. Chasingice.com
David Bromberg: Unsung Treasure Dir. Beth Toni Kruvant
A dependable foot soldier of the blues, folk and bluegrass movements, Bromberg is afforded a laid-back canonization in this ambling retrospective. From his days in Westchester as a Jew embracing black culture to the heady Greenwich Village '60s, jamming with Zimmerman and Harrison, Bromberg never grasped for fame. This loving but even-handed portrait explains his 23-year disappearing act, career detours, and unshowy return to the stage. Goodfootageproductions.com
Dinner at the No Gos Dir. Marco Orsini
If you can watch this film about a group of upper-class professionals, earnestly discussing progressive politics while eating elegant meals through a series of dinner parties across the globe and not mutter "limousine liberals" under your breath, you're a far better person than I. Meant as a social experiment to foster solutions to religious wars and terrorism, these self-important events drive home the indiscreet charm of the bourgeoisie.
*Fight to Live Dir. Barbara Kopple
The veteran documentarian, again training her camera on the underdog questing for justice, brings her talents to the battle for access to medications in America. Politics and greed in the pharmaceutical industry means life-giving drugs are not being government-approved quickly and patients are dying in the process. The complexity and dryness of the subject taxes Kopple's storytelling powers, but she assembles eloquent advocates whose life-and-death struggles underscore the urgency of this issue. Fighttolive.org
Idle Threat Dir. George Edward Pakenham
Pakenham spent years informing Manhattan motorists that their idling cars are releasing pollutants into the air. At last count, the figure was 2,946 people and he documented each response. "I'm an educator, not just a vigilante," says he. Call him brave or eccentric, but his crusade led him to city hall to lobby for an anti-idling law. A quirkily inspiring reminder that one person indeed can make a difference. Idlethreatmovie.com
Informant Dir. Jamie Meltzer
The sole WFF documentary that would give Republicans cause to gloat. Brandon Darby, a charismatic lefty anarchist was working in New Orleans to provide support post-Katrina. Fiercely idealistic, he was not always a team player. Darby suddenly defected to the other side, going undercover to spy on former comrades and eventually became a Tea Party tool. Clumsily recreated scenes deepen the outrage and incredulity this bizarre film is bound to stir up. Informantdoc.com
*The Mechanical Bride Dir. Allison de Fren
Lars and the Real Girl was just the start. Men across the world, wearied by the dead-end searches of Internet dating, are purchasing custom-made life companions. Several satisfied customers—unsettling because they are thoughtful and eloquent—discuss sweethearts composed of silicone and circuitry, as do the doll designers. The film offers a thoughtful discussion about sexism, objectification, and eugenics. This deliriously fascinating study quickly sheds its initial "ick" factor. Mechanicalbridemovie.com
*Oma and Bella Dir. Alexa Karolinski
Girlfriends since World War II, Regina from Poland and Bella of Lithuania survived the devastation of their homelands in the Holocaust and now reside together in Berlin. As the granddaughter of Regina (Oma is "grandmother" in German), the director is shrewd enough to know she has cinematic gold. So she simply lets the women tell their stories, which they interweave with sad memories, flinty outlooks, and the occasional bit of playfulness. Omabella.com
*Once in a Lullaby Dir. Jonathan Kalafer
As privatized schools and gutted budgets continue to undermine American education, this film sounds a note of hope. Staten Island chorus teacher Gregg Breinberg is Mr. Schu from "Glee" times 10; his drive gets his fifth graders a spot on the 2011 Oscars. Intimate portraits of the students show them veering from age-appropriate mischief to diva-caliber aspirations. Unabashedly heartwarming yet with a healthy dose of the bittersweet for balance. Newjerseypictures.net
One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das Dir. Jeremy Frindel
The journey of Jeffrey Kagel from neurotic Long Island Jew to Kirtan singer Krishna Das is a rutted road that demanded extreme spiritual faith. But Das remains modest about his achievements, explaining that he sings "to clean out the dark places in my heart." He has done likewise for hundreds of thousands of fans globally for over four decades. This film lovingly untethers the man from the myth. Onetrackheartmovie.com
Only the Young Dir. Jason Tippet & Elizabeth Mims
Ignition Skate Ministry lures new converts to their tent with tacos, chips and water, hoping to "show them the love of Jesus Christ through skateboarding." This is the flipside of Larry Clark's world, though the beautifully wounded gene pool seems the same. Dramatically gorgeous cinematography and a keen eye for the smallest human detail grounds this slacker opus, even when the narrative starts to wander off. Onlytheyoungfilm.tumblr.com
*Pretty Old Dir. Walter Matteson
This big-hearted, life-affirming film chronicles the Ms. Senior Sweetheart of America Pageant, held annually since 1978 in Fall River, Mass. Women too vibrant for assisted living demonstrate their charms and talents to vie for a sash and crown. Offstage, they candidly discuss their motivations for participation year in and out with a level of self-awareness that is equally joyous and bittersweet. Sarah Jessica Parker executive produced this crowd-pleaser. Vimeo.com/35121236
Rolan Makes Movies Dir. Anton Verstakov
The Quentin Tarantino of Tuva, a republic in Russia, lives in a yurt with his extended family and makes low-budget, violent action films with his friends. Rolan seems undeterred by his modest talent and aspires to fame on a global level. Whether you are inclined to admire or pity him—and there's ample justification for both—this rambling film is as oddly engaging as its subject.
*Shepard and Dark Dir. Treva Wurmfeld
Many successful people cut off those who knew them in humbler days. Yet some retain old friends to keep themselves honest. For iconic playwright Sam Shepard, that person is Johnny Dark. A half century later, their friendship continues, but not without fits and starts. As the pair works to edit their combined correspondence for a college archive, the process throws into relief the divergent paths their lives took and the bonds that link them forever. This perceptive film looks unsparingly at lions in winter and how the past both nurtures and holds us hostage.
*Words of Witness Dir. Mai Iskander
The revolution in Egypt's Tahrir Square unfolded with epic impact and captivated the world. On the inside was Heba Afify, a 22-year-old female journalist reporting for the independent newspaper Almasry Alyoum. This white-knuckle documentary follows Afify on her beat as the struggle plays out in real time, but also watches her debate family members on the role of a woman in the new Egypt. An impressive achievement. Wordsofwitness.com
The World's Finest Chef, (Verden Bedste Kok) Dir. Rasmus Dinesen
The winner of the Bocuse d'Or, the culinary equivalent of the Olympics, is neither a raging egotist nor a screaming maniac. Charming and boyish, Rasmus Kofoed rides a skateboard to unwind. But in the kitchen, he morphs into an artist, creating multi-tier gourmet meals that look as sublime as they taste. This fawning film offers no revelations, but energetically chronicles the preparation for the 2011 competition.