Wildlife spotted at the CINEMA TROPICALE PARTY, Sarasota Yacht Club
What little I had heard of the Sarasota Film Festival centered on the quality and abundance of its associated parties, so that was enough motivation for me to fly off to Florida for the final weekend of the 2012 Fest! I did not leave disappointed (in either the quality of the films or the parties). The SFF team runs an organized and professional two-week festival, in large part due to a large cadre of volunteers who, unlike many festivals I have attended (DC FF), actually know what they are doing! Many screenings sell out, and like all good festivals, the air is filled with buzz about which films to see and which to avoid. I love the camaraderie of strangers with a shared passion. And these festival-goers were passionate!
The lovely actress JENA MALONE ("Donnie Darko") graciously posed for a picture (she was there to promote her new feature "In Our Nature")
Of the six films I packed into four days -- if I had been serious, I could have squeezed in nine or 10 -- I would definitely recommend four of them. Here is the rundown (in order of preference):
1. "Under African Skies" (USA. D: Joe Berlinger) - I may be biased since I was a fan of Paul Simon's "Graceland" album from the beginning (way back in 1986!). The ostensible occasion for this 25-year retrospective of that ground-breaking and controversial album is Simon's return trip to South Africa in 2011 for a one-show reunion with many of the musicians who appeared on the album and tour. We see little of the actual concert, but that doesn't matter since Berlinger has filled all 108 minutes with footage and recordings from the original source. He and Simon do a masterful job explaining how each song was constructed using the rhythms and sounds of many native musicians, while collaborating with them to create entirely new music.
The controversy surrounding Simon's breaking the cultural boycott during apartheid, as well as the criticism he received for 'stealing' their music, all seems rather ridiculous in hindsight, now that the album is regarded as one of Simon's best. This doc is a rare treat for fans (the sold out crowd I saw it with rhythmically clapped during the closing credits!) and I imagine will hold interest for music lovers of all stripes.
2. "Your Sister's Sister" (USA. D: Lynn Shelton) - a likable cast heads this indie romantic comedy that is edgy enough to hold one's interest throughout. The titular character, the lesbian sister of Emily Blunt's character, is played winningly by Rosemarie Dewitt, last seen as Anne Hathaway's sis in "Rachel Getting Married." She unwittingly comes between her sister and her male friend in a cabin they share, somewhere in Washington State. The male lead is played by indie star Mark Duplass -- I'm not convinced he's male lead material, but he is a decent enough actor. The script and direction are witty and lively: keep an eye out for this movie and for director Lynn Shelton.
3. "Leave Me Like You Found Me" (USA. D: Adele (pronounced a-DAY-la) Romanski) - Film Festivals were created to showcase films like this one: and Independent, low budget, cast of unknowns, filmed during a 14-day camping trip in Sequoia National Forest, and without the Park's permission! (The Q&A with the director informs this review.) To the film's credit, you wouldn't necessarily know any of this by what's on screen: the script is intelligent and perceptive (following a young couple as they take the initial steps to getting back together after a one-year break-up); the acting is solid, especially by Megan Boone (a Kristen Stewart look-alike); and I didn't notice any drop off in production values. Accepting the confines of the story (the film is essentially two people talking, arguing, making up, repeat), I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it so much.
4. "Impardonnables/Unforgiveable" (FRANCE. D: Andre Techine) - Of all the films I saw, this had the highest pedigree: noted French director ("Wild Reeds"); accomplished cast, led by the ageless Carole Bouquet (former Bond girl); beautiful setting (Venice!). The trouble is, the story is so dark, the character's actions so selfish and hurtful, it is hard for even a Francophile like myself to wrap my arms around this one. The acting is first rate, however.
Of course, I have to mention the other two films I sat through.
5. Regrettably, "Dancing on a Volcano" was an inartful, by-the-book documentary that relies on only three interview subjects and a suitcase full of old photos (slowly panned, of course) and stock footage of Nazis to tell a truly remarkable story of survival of two Jewish sisters in WWII Austria. The film lacks both style and historical context -- it is as if the filmmakers had never heard of Ken Burns. A compelling film could have been made from this material, but instead the story gets the standard History Channel treatment, complete with a ponderous narrator and incessant, maudlin music (but at least we were spared the endless info-mercials).
6. "The Loneliest Planet" should have been titled "Worst Camping Trip -- EVER!" It certainly felt like the longest camping trip ever endured. Director (I use that term loosely) Julia Loktev obviously threw her three actors together, dropped them into the stunning scenery of the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia, and told them to 'improvise.' A director with a clear vision, something to SAY, and the trust of her actors might be able to get away with this method. Ms. Loktev has none of these, so she fails miserably.
Scenes meander pointlessly while the actors (led by the fine Mexican actor Gael-Garcia Bernal) gamely try to create something out of nothing. To separate these so-called 'dialogue' scenes, Loktev uses the tiredest of cinematic devices to convey the characters' state of mind: a stationary camera shoots a vast landscape, as we watch three minute figures travel across it, from one end of the screen to the other, over and over again! The entire film reeks of pretension, but it is an empty vessel.
Anyone who is familiar with the work of noted Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky will appreciate this comparison: imagine sitting through all 3-hours of his 1979 film "Stalker" (which consists of long takes of three men hiking through a primeval forest) and then strip the film of any intelligence, artistry, feeling, and mystery -- what are you left with? Three hikers with nothing to say. That is indeed the loneliest planet.
