Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film - Provincetown International Film Festival

Film Festival Reviews

6th Annual Provincetown International Film Festival, Movies, Beaches, Parties & Brini Maxwell!

by Michael Colford

The 6th Annual Provincetown International Film Festival showed a great deal of maturity and organization for a festival that has only been running for six years. We heard from several perspectives that P-Town is becoming an important festival, both for filmmakers (many of whom attend the fest) and from local business owners who consider the festival the opening week of the season.

This year's festival was particularly fun due to the presence of eight Chlotrudis members. It was great to run into friends on the street, at the movies, and at the parties. The weather was terrific, with hot, sunny days perfect for the beach, and overcast, drizzly days perfect for the movies.

The parties this year were a lot of fun, partly due to the afore-mentioned presence of so many Chlotrudis members, but also due to the filmmakers in attendance. In addition to usual suspects John Waters and Guinevere Turner, it was fun to see Heather Matarazzo (SAVED!; WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE) in deep conversation with Guin. Scot and I got to spend over 20 minutes of quality time with drag hostess extraordinnair, Brini Maxwell (left). For those of you who aren't familiar with Brini, you definitely need to check out her show on the Style Network. This successful gal-on-the-go models herself after the late 60's icons such as Mary Tyler Moore and Marlo Thomas, with a dash of Martha Stewart creativity thrown in. Brinni was as delightful and generous as we might have suspected. Scot has developed quite a crush.

Another friendly filmmaker who we spent time with was SAVED's Brian Dannelly. We met him at Friday evening's soiree, and were so impressed by his down-to-earth, friendly demeanor, that we made it a point to catch his film, which we may otherwise have skipped. He'd be a wonderful guest at Chlotrudis... too bad he's based in L.A.

The one slight drawback to the festival was its method of ticket distribution. I was fortunate enough to have a press pass for the event, for which I am grateful, but I was also potentially shut out from any screenings that sold out (which were a few). Press and staff had to wait until patrons and ticket holders were seated before allowed entry. I think a better way to handle it would be to have press and staff go to the box office and pick up tickets, giving the festival a more accurate count of attendance, and allow everyone a chance to see a film. All-in-all, it is a very minor gripe.

Now, on to the movies...

WORD WARS
directed by Eric Chaikin and Juilan Petrillo
Shades of SPELLBOUND! This doc focused on 4 contenders for the National Scrabble Championship. The film follows the four as the spend a year preparing for the tournament, both exploring their lives and their Scrabble successes and failures. Unlike the driven, but for the most part, normal kids in SPELLBOUND, the four guys in WORD WARS were pretty freaky. For the most part, all these guys want to do with their lives is play Scrabble! An interesting side-story involves Scrabble players in New York City's George Washington Park. Scot was so inspired by this film that we had to purchase the Deluxe edition of Scrabble immediately following the movie. 3 1/2 cats

THE BEST THIEF IN THE WORLD
directed by Jacob Kornbluth
An 11-year-old boy living in New York City, copes with the debilitating stroke of his father by secretly entering the apartments of his neighbors and stealing small items or rearranging the furniture. His mom (a typically terrific Mary Louise Parker) is hanging by a thread: tending to her husband, watching over her three kids, all the while trying to figure out how to hang on to her teaching job when summer ends. Unlike the IFFB's AUGUST AND GARNET, THIEF treats its troubled main character more realistically. Parker's deft performance grounds the film, but young Michael Silverman in his film debut, handles his complex role remarkably well. Nice to see Audra McDonald in a supportnig role. Look for this to be released in January 2005. 4 1/2 cats

Tilda Swinton in IN THE COMPANY OF WOMEN

IN THE COMPANY OF WOMEN
directed by Leli Klainberg and Gini Reticker
This made-for-cable documentary celebrating women in independent film is a delight. While the format is pretty standard, interviews with directors, arctors, critics, and film historians mixed with film clips, I could sit and listen to women filmmakers talk about their work in indpendent film for hours. What was refreshing in this film was how readily and honestly these women discussed the work of their peers. And the caliber of interviewees was terrific, of course, Allison Anders, Patricia Clarkson, Tilda Swinton, Lili Taylor, Parker Posey, Nicole Holofcener, Susan Sarandon, Jodie Foster... just to name a handful. The focus, despite a segment on Jane Campion, was clearly on American independent film (it would have been nice if they'd mentioned Canadian filmmaker Patricia Rozema, one of the many women making films in France, or the new emergence of women directors in Iran). Film Historian, B. Ruby Rich, an interviewee in the film, was present to answer questions after the screening. 3 1/2 cats

THE CONTROL ROOM
directed by Jehane Noujaim
A timely documentary, to be sure, Noujaim's THE CONTROL ROOM tells the story of Al Jazeera, the controversial and powerful news outlet based in the Arab world. Thoughtfully and carefully juxtaposing her coverage of Al Jazeera with media outlets of the Western World (such as FoxNews) during their coverage of the war in Iraq, Noujaim explores objectivity and bias with interviews, news footage, and stock footage. While undeniably powerful, watching a film such as this that questions objectivity, causes me to step away and focus on the objectivity of the film itself. A particularly powerful sequence involves the U.S. soldier in charge of media for the U.S. military who is disturbed by Al Jazeera's methods, while acknowledging that the western media outlets use those same methods, and the fact that it disturbs him more when Al Jazeera does it forces him to reexamine his own methods. Still, THE CONTROL ROOM is a timely and important documentary that will interest a lot of people. 3 1/2 cats

BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS
directed by Stephen Fry
I was surprised to find this to be the biggest disappointment of the festival. Fry tackles Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies, a look at the free-wheeling, decadent social set in Britain in the months leading up to World War II. A great many characters show up in this film, but only a handful get any development. Adam, a struggling writer, needs to make some money in order to marry his beloved Nina, a bored, partying socialite. When he is assigned to write the gossip column of London's biggest newspaper, he and Nina make up fabulous people to report about in order to avoid dishing about their friends. But Adam's fortunes are as whimsical as the wind as he finds himself wealthy, then boke, then wealthy, then broke, etc. The arrival of the War changes the face of England, and brings the film to its proper and oh-so predictable end. Acting is strong... Emily Mortimer is wonderful as Nina, and Fenella Woolgar is a scream as her friend Agatha. Cameos from the likes of Dan Akroyd, Stockard Channing and the divine Imelda Staunton keep things interesting, as do the gorgeous set and costume design. Unfortunately, it was not enough for me. 2 cats

A THOUSAND CLOUDS OF PEACE
directed by Julián Hernández
This atmospheric Mexican film surprised me after its initial dreary opening. While not nearly as brilliant as either of these, PEACE is a bit of a cross between Tsai Ming Liang's WHAT TIME IS IT THERE and Wong Kar Wai's HAPPY TOGETHER. Gerardo has left school for the streets of Mexico City, where on his quest for love, his sweet boyish looks find him in the arms of various men who subsequently try to pay him for his time. Disillusioned and dissatisfied, all that changes one night when he finds a young man with whom he could fall in love and receive the same in return. However, the man in questions disappears, leaving Gerardo a note expressing his love, and the fear of hurt that keeps him away. For the rest of the film, Gerardo wanders about Mexico City searching for the man who has stolen his heart. The film is shot in black & white, with images fading in and out of focus... both stark and lush at the same time. This film is not for everyone, but I was pleasantly surprised by my reaction. 3 1/2 cats

GUERILLA: THE TAKING OF PATTY HEARST
directed by Robert Stone
It's a fascinating subject, to be sure, and the archival news footage and interviews with two of the surviving members of the Symbionese Liberation Army are interesting, yet GUERILLA was lacking in any new information, or even a strong slant in any particular direction to make this doc a true winner. It's more a compilation of news reports, and should be fairly riveting to anyone who is completely unfamiliar with Patty Hearst's story. For me, while I didn't specifically remember the news reports shown, I was old enough to remember what was going on at the time. We'll never know the truth about Patty... I guess if I want to get a more pointed reflection, I should read her autobiography. 3 cats

DiG! DiG!
directed by Ondi Timoner
Between GIGANTIC: A TALE OF TWO JOHNS, and DIG!, I'm finding that rock & roll documentaries can provide pretty fertile ground for film. DIG! is the type of documentary where the filmmaker gets an idea to make a movie about two similar bands, who happen to be friends, are starting out around the same time, and have a bit of an industry buzz around them. The story that blossoms as their careers advance seems like a gift for movie-making purposes. Timoner really just has to be around to document the amazing exploits of both bands as The Dandy Warhols find success, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre crashes and burns. A thoroughly entertaining and well-told story. I recommend this one for everyone. 4 1/2 cats

SAVED!
directed by Brian Dannelly
It really helped me to spend time with the director of this film, and hear his reasons for making the choices he did before seeing this film. I, like many others, was expecting a darker, satrical look at a group of teens attending a Christian High School, but if you manage to leave those expectations at the door, you'll be treated to a skillfully made, albeit intentionally conventional teen film with a twist. While the film was quite humorous, I was also amazed at the number of times I got choked up during scenes of real emotion. Jena Malone, as Mary, is particularly adept at showing true emotion without seeming melodramatic. The cast is terrific, with pros Mary Louise Parker and Martin Donovan providing the adult assistance, and Patrick Fugit, Heather Matarazzo, Eva Amurri, and surprisingly, Mandy Moore and Macaulay Culkin rounding out the teen cast. SAVED! is presented in as broad a manner as possible, in order to appeal to a mainstream audience in middle-America, but it includes a subversive message around tolerance that is an important one in this day and age. See this one in a double-bill with NAPOLEON DYNAMITE. 4 1/2 cats

I highly recommend the Provincetown International Film Festival to Boston-area Chlotrudis members. It's relatively easy to get to, P-Town is a terrific venue for a festival, and you're likely to spend some quality time with other Chlotrudis members at parties, and over meals. Keep this one in mind next year.

Dark Theatres, Bright Beaches

by Chris Kriofske

Amidst lots of dearly-needed sun, I saw four movies. I had already seen DIG! at the Independent Film Festival of Boston, albeit with terrible sound. This time, the sound was better but the aspect ratio was off. Still, it more than held up to a second viewing, and I can't imagine anyone being put off by this fizzy, highly entertaining documentary. The only challenge is getting 'em into the theaters in October.

A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD
directed by Michael Mayer

Even though it cuts out a fairly major character and settles for an omniscient point of view (rather than the book's chapter = character narration), Michael Cunningham mostly captures the essence of his beautiful book in his adapted screenplay. The story follows the shifting relationship of two Cleveland teenagers, Jonathan (Dallas Roberts) and Bobby (Farrell), from the '60s through the '80s when they reunite in New York and attempt a makeshift family with a female friend, Claire (Robin Wright-Penn). There are many highly emotional scenes that could've easily been cheapened into melodramatic hackwork, but instead, they're handled deftly and thoughtfully. I can recall one halfway through that left me absolutely shaken.

The cast is stellar, especially newcomer Roberts and the inimitable Sissy Spacek as his mother. Even Colin Farrell proves not to be an odd, misguided choic! e as Bobby--it's probably his least flashiest, realest performance to date. I also hope people take notice of the actors playing teen-aged Jonathan and Bobby (Harris Allan and Erik Smith), as they're responsible for the scene I alluded to above.

This really isn't an unconventional or innovative film via construction or execution (like LOST IN TRANSLATION), and, as with most adaptations, it felt a little truncated. But I was admittedly moved by the meditative, ambiguous ending. Good first film for director Michael Mayer, and a few great, wonderfully-placed familiar songs on the soundtrack. 4 cats.

(One note: What I saw in P-Town wasn't the final cut. In a Q and A with Roberts after the screening, he mentioned a key scene that was cut, but will be restored when the film hits theaters in late July. It changes our perception of Bobby considerably, and although the film didn't fall apart without it, now that I know about it I'd be sorely disappointed if it didn't make the final cut.)

WE DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE
directed by John Curran

A film with more great performances than the director John Curran knows what to do with: just the cast alone (Mark Ruffalo, Laura Dern, Peter Krause, and Naomi Watts) was all I needed to want to see it. All four leads are good, with Ruffalo finally delivering that great lead performance his admirers have been waiting for since YOU CAN COUNT ON ME. And people put off by Watts' histrionics in 21 GRAMS will love her restraint here.

Unfortunately, it amounts to a slow, brooding tone poem about infidelity/jealously/dysfunction/desire between two married couples in a small college town. I admired that someone chose to make a film about this particular subject. But THE ICE STORM and THE SECRET LIVES OF DENTISTS both had a lot more to say about it, and they tempered their pretensions with humor and depth. Oh well, at least this one's Denis Leary-free. 2.5 cats

HARRY AND MAX
directed by Christopher Münch

Having had time to process this, I've concluded that it isn't that abrupt a change from director Christopher Münch's previous work after all. The same constants are there: sex, family, conversation, landscapes, but in a decidedly less austere package.

Harry and Max are brothers (aged 23 and 16) who both happen to be teen-pop stars, and this film explores the slipperiness of their relationship, which breaks both sibling and sexual boundaries. A few have commented on how uncomfortable this film made them feel, but Rick and I agreed that, on the contrary, it didn't go far enough. Instead of pushing Harry and Max towards some sort of catharsis about each other or even some self-realization, its supposedly controversial subject matter was just a tease, reeking of wasted potential. 2 cats

Superstar of the Festival!

by Beth Curran

I'm still reeling a bit from film overload, I think - PIFF was an absolute blast, top to bottom, and I'm looking forward to next year. Two things helped guarantee good times - one was the presence of so many Chlotrudians(?), and the other was the abracadabra magical properties of my Patron Superstar pass, which not only got me into all the films and parties (for a ridiculous price my tax refund took care of), but it wound up being an excellent conversation starter! 'So what makes you a superstar?' became the opening line for many a great chat!

FRIDAY

My first movie, on Friday, THE CONTROL ROOM is a documentary about Al Jazeera, the Arab newschannel - I thought it was very good, very informative and more objective than I expected it to be, given that the filmmakers are sympathetic to Al Jazeera's aims. It was shot during the war, so it had some really interesting behind the scenes stuff on what the media was doing/thinking while they were all at CentCom, the HQ in Baghdad for the armed forces. I definitely recommend this to people interested in learning more about 'the other side'. 4 cats.

CHISHOLM '72 is a documentary about Shirley Chisholm's run to be the Democratic nominee for President in '72, the first woman and first African-American to do so. It was interesting in a 'wait, who was she again?' kind of historical look back, but I wanted it to contextualize, to do something that connected dots to the present-day. It could have been made 5, 10, 20 years ago, you know? A the end of it I was left feeling 'huh, so that's who she is' rather than 'wow, why the hell isn't someone like her around now when we need her?' A whisker shy of 3 cats.

I missed the first fifteen minutes of BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS, directed by Stephen Fry, and suffered for it - it took me quite a while to figure out who the protagonist was, and then I remembered that it was based on an Evelyn Waugh book, and realized that it wasn't really going to matter who the lead was, because ennui of disaffected youth was the star of this one. The acting was all wonderful (particularly Emily Mortimer), the costumes, sets, guest star cameos, all of it was well done, but the story just sort of drifted. I say wait until it's out on DVD and savor the individual performances. 2 ½ cats.

SATURDAY

I saw a Spanish film called MY MOTHER LIKES WOMEN, a tour de force for the lead Leonor Watling who was funny, neurotic, beautiful, gifted comedienne, just - she was brilliant, I was excited about seeing a Spanish movie that I really liked that isn't an Almodovar film! Finally, I was beginning to worry! Anyway, it's about three adult sisters who find out that their longtime divorced mother has found love - with a Czech woman their age! Hilarity ensues, but all is made right in the end. If Leonor wasn't such a joy to watch, it would just be another sweet 'well, that's nice' kind of family comedy - but she is total joy, so I definitely recommend this one. Quatro gatos.

Next up was the documentary HOWARD ZINN: YOU CAN'T BE NEUTRAL ON A MOVING TRAIN, narrated by Matt Damon (who famously included a reference to Zinn's A History of the United States in GOOD WILL HUNTING). He's a now-retired BU history professor who's been this amazing voice for progressives all his life. I knew Zinn had been involved in the civil rights movement, but didn't know it was to that extent, and I also had no idea how large a figure he was in the anti-war movement during Vietnam. I found this film to be engrossing, enlightening, and ultimately uplifting. I particularly appreciate how, in watching the parts of his story unfold, one is shown how truly to live locally while thinking globally. 4 cats fomenting for change.

D.E.B.S was a hoot and a half, about this secret group made up of girls who scored high on the 'supersekrit' spy test hidden in the SATs. The focus is on the four seniors who make up the best squad - it's like 'Charlie's Angels' meets James Bond or 'Mission: Impossible.' Anyway, so the blondie best of them all has just broken up with her boyfriend when the D.E.B.S. network finds out that an ubervillain has resurfaced and is fixing to do something big. It's lesbian spy-spoof campy fun, muy excellente! And the special effects were surprisingly advanced and well-done for what's basically a cheesy b-movie. Good stuff! Ooh, and Holland Taylor is in it as an extra bonus! 3 ½ Kit Kats.

For the last movie of the night, I saw OPEN WATER. It's based on a true story, or on what the filmmakers assumed may have happened to this couple on vacation in the Bahamas who get left behind by their boat when they went out on a scuba-diving daytrip. While it's a feature film, from what I read, there were no special effects (i.e. all the sharks are' real!) so I'm quite certain much of the acting wasn't really acting, you know? It was good and scary, bigtime. 4 catfish.

SUNDAY

First up was TYING THE KNOT, a decent documentary with a misleading title. I hadn't planned on seeing it originally, but a breakfast panel talk with the director changed my mind. I had thought that it would be just a feel-good collection of various gay wedding ceremonies, but in fact the topic was more political and layered than that. It is more a historical consideration of what marriage is and has been, and the gay community's relationship to that over the years, intercut with personal stories of couples who illustrate exactly what's at stake for couples in relationships not legally recognized, on both an individual and community level. Definitely a thought provoker. 3 cats.

Another one I missed the first minutes of was WE DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE which, despite starring Naomi Watts, Laura Dern, Mark Ruffalo and Peter Krause, was horrible. Sooo booooring! It's about two couples, the women and men each best friends while they inadvertently swap partners by cheating on their spouses - until they find out, and much emoting and pouting and stupid dialogue and drama ensue, all so that nothing really changes by the end. It's based on an Andre Dubus short story (not sure if it's Andre senior or junior, though) - and can we please have a five-year moratorium on adapting any more of either Dubus' stuff, please please pretty please? always so depressing! New rule: from here on in, I'd like my character studies to be comedies, 'kay? 1 cranky cat.

Sadly, the next film I saw, THE BEST THIEF IN THE WORLD, the last one of the festival for me, was almost as disappointing. Thief had only one good thing about it, and that was the presence of Mary Louise Parker, who has almost achieved goddess stature in my eyes - goddessling, I guess. I couldn't quite figure out when it was supposed to be set, in the eighties maybe?, in NY, and it's about an 11 year old boywho likes to go off and break into strangers' apartments and make himself at home (which sometimes includes lighting a fire or two). His mom (Mary) is struggling to deal with 3 kids, a husband crippled by stroke now back in the apartment, (not because he's well but because their rehab insurance ran out), and making ends meet on a teacher's salary. The young actor who plays the kid is just not able to pull it off. Whatever sadness or alienation we're supposed to glean from his performance, it just wasn't happening for me. I often felt like I was watching the birth of a sociopath - glib, reckless, unfeeling kid making his mother's life even more hellish. When the film's end came, I didn't think the character had moved at all - he was exactly as he was at the start. The mother, on the other hand, was a lot more raggedy. 1 ½ cats.