P.s...

I failed to mention that first time writer/director, Marialy Rivas, won the award for World Cinema Screenwriting-Dramatic for Young & Wild!! She definitely earned it! 

(Also: I am currently writing my next blog post- so don't fret parents!)

Sundance: Day 2

Film #1:Teddy Bear

This is easily among my top 5 favorite films of the weekend. The story centers on Dennis, a 38 year old Danish body builder who still lives with his mother. Dennis yearns to find a girlfriend, but because of his overwhelming shy and awkward personality (not to mention his massive size), he fails in all regards. After some convincing from his cousin, Dennis travels to Thailand in search of love. However, upon arriving he is introduced to relations not of the romantic persuasion. Dennis finds himself amongst the ever present sex tourism that smothers the streets.Burrying himself back into his comfort zone, Dennis goes to the local gym where he not only befriends other body builders, but meets a girl who looks beyond his muscles. Because of its extreme delicacy and sweetness, the film allows for your heart to ache, heal, and pound feverishly once again. With its gentle power, it is no wonder why director Mads Matthiesen won the World Cinema Directing Award- and the hearts of all the viewers, for that matter. 

Film #2: Save The Date 

This was one of my least favorite films. It follows the story of a woman (played by Lizzy Caplan- aka Janice from Mean Girls) who has just broken up with her boyfriend (who is also the best-friend of her sister's fiance) . She then begins to date an admirer of hers, wrapping herself in a world-wind romance. Following her sister's wedding preparations, tensions rise as she intermingles her past and present relationships- leaving her sister to feel as an afterthought. Although not a horrible film, it was just a basic "girl breaks up with boy- girl meets new boy- girl screws up- girl ends up happy" story. Thats basically all I can chalk it up to be. It did nothing new, and certainly was not akin to the level of romantic pursuit as Teddy Bear. 

Film #3: Mosquita y Mari 

This based on a true story gently surveys the relationship of two high school Chicano girls in Huntington Park, Los Angeles. One girl is a hardworking straight - A/straight laced student, while the other has lost her way in helping to provide for her family. This emotionally rich story breaks new ground by unearthing a strong closer- than- friends relationship between them. Being young, Hispanic, and confused, the girls do no speak verbally their growing feelings for one another. In place of words, there are beautiful moments of silence. These moments are filled with a quiet intensity that can only exist with true love. At the Q&A afterward, the audience found out this story was based on the director/writer, Aurora Guerrero's life. As she confessed how freeing the filmmaking experience was for her, the audience cooed and clapped- immersed in the joy of her great and influential accomplishment.

Film #4: 28 Hotel Rooms 

This is another huge favorite of mine. Divided into 28 segments, the film delves into the emotional, psychological, physical, natural- yet unnatural, bond between a man and a women. Over the course of an 11 year span, the film looks deeply into their relationship though the clever lens of hotel rooms. Some scenes are a mere 30 seconds, while others last nearly 20 minutes. Some scenes are filled with silence, sadness, loneliness, longing, while others are filled with violence, passion, fear, and intense happiness. As their own relationship status (as well as their relations with other people) fluctuates, the audience oscillates with them- flowing with the natural performance of the actors. I truly loved this film's realness, as well as its creative narrative voice. It is a triumphantly difficult  look at humanity's faults, at which no one is exempt. 

Film #5: Young & Wild

Following the secret, sexually explicit  blog of Daniela, this film holds incredibly true to its name. Being from a strict evangelical family in Santiago, Chile, Dainela finds it difficult to find outlets for her growing desires. She thus begins to steadily experiment her fantasies, while documenting them for the public eyes of like-minded teenagers. Daniela places equal strength in hiding the blog from her mom and boyfriend. As the past has proven, nothing online is safe and the story unfolds into a uniquely fresh perspective on  a young women's liberation. This film was extremely powerful to me; it was both a new way of story telling as well as a new kind of story. The audience had the pleasure to meet the director, the main actress, and the real girl whose blog the story is meticulously based on. The mixture of the intense visual, strong narrative, and the fact that I saw it at midnight, combined to make this an extremely rare, and potent viewing experience that extended well beyond the confines of the theatre walls. 

P.s...

I realize I was a litteeeee critical on some of the films. But this is not to say I did not appreciate seeing each and everyone of them. I am having the greatest time of my life here. I couldn't ask for more! With that said, I'm off to see my midnight screening!

Sundance: Day 1

Before I begin my reviews, I should mention that one of my main goals here is to make contacts for WUD Film's Mini Indie Film Festival (April 2012) and the 2nd Annual Reel Love LGBT Film Festival (November 2012). I worked on the LGBT Festival this past fall, and fell completely in love with the subject matter. This is probably what I'm most excited for here at Sundance.  

Film #1: Love Free or Die 

This film was by far my favorite of the day. Centering around the Episcopal church, the documentary follows the story of Gene Robinson- the first openly gay bishop. After being elected in 2003, he has struggled through his rejection from nearly the entire church. While being a complete sob -fest (I literally had to catch my breath a few times), this movie is jam packed with inspiration and hope. The audience fell in love with Gene from the minute they met him. He is probably the most likeable documentary subject I have ever seen. He is not only strongly committed to his faith and the LGBT community, he is also extremely funny- even cracking a Bette Midler joke. This film opened up new questions about faith and religion in me, which definitely was a shock. I was elated to find out that Gene was present at the screening and that he took part in the Q&A that followed. He was just as loveable- possibly even more- in person. I had the great privilege of meeting him after. Talking to him was as if talking to a friend I had known for years. I also had the great pleasure of meeting the director, Macky Alston. After talking to both of them, I am fairly positive we will be bringing the movie to Reel Love!! Gene and Macky said they would both love to come. I don't think I've ever smiled so much in one morning. That being said, I'd like to end with one of my favorite quotes from Gene, " The opposite of love isn't hate, its fear." Amen to that.  

Film #2: Keep the Lights On

This film was my second favorite of the day. It follows a gay couple over a span of 10 years. You experience their joys, fears, and their desperately low moments of lack of hope. One of the main story lines examines one of the men's extreme drug addiction -which takes a toll on nearly everyone in the film. The main character was played by Thure Lindhart. He is a little known actor with extreme talent. Although the acting was wonderful- the whole film fell a little short for me. It's main ideas- to let go of secrets and be more open- was almost painfully obvious, with actual dialogue referencing these ideas. I feel like it was a solid base to a film, but definitely needed greater depth and layering. That being said- it was still wonderful to hear from the director, who loosely based the film on his life. The Q&A added another facet of complexity, which in turn added more appeal. 

Film #3: For Ellen 

I was probably most excited for this film before hand, however I came out a little disappointed. It follows a father (played by Paul Dano) who is getting a divorce from his estranged wife. He tries to keep custody of his daughter; in the end losing. The film was not terrible, but it did nothing exciting or new. While Paul Dano delivered a solid performance, the film  failed to progress his character-or the plot, for that matter. There were a lot of questions unanswered- and not in an cool/ weird Tarrentino way. I left the film feeling unsatisfied. It definitely wasn't bad- it just wasn't anything Sundance worthy, in my opinion. One of its saving grace's was the daughter (Ellen) who was so adorable. The director never let her see a script, instead feeding her the lines every scene. It made the character so undeniably innocent and child-like, which was extremely refreshing. 

Film#4: Hit RECord at the Movies with Joseph Gordon Levitt

Hit RECord is a project created by Joseph Gordon Levitt. There are two aspects of it: first there is a website where artists/anyone from all over can contribute and collaborate on all forms and mediums. The second is a sort of traveling comedy/variety show/film screening in which Levitt hosts. The show's selling factor is that audience members are encouraged to record the whole program and upload all content they have onto the website. Audience memebrs are also pulled from the crowd and can answer polled questions via twitter during the show. I was very excited to see what the show was all about and felt very fortune to have gotten a ticket (people had been waiting in front of the theatre for 4 hours before the show started). However this was probably the most disappointing experience. Levitt came off as extremely into himself and quite a bit pretentious. His interactions with the audience members were awkward and insincere. Although it was definitely not a waste of time, I feel as if I was cheated out from the opportunity to see an engaging independent film.  But you should check it out for yourselves- the whole show is posted on youtube! 

That Ah Ha Moment.

Its my first official day of being a Sundance viewer and I'm breathless. I'm in love with this city, the people, and the atmosphere. If you thought people from the Midwest were nice, you should see the people here. Everyone is so alive with the spirit of the festival and people will try everything in their power to help you. Its incredible. Once I get a little down time I will upload pictures, because Park City is seriously the North Pole. And for those of you who know me, you know that means I'm flipping out. Christmas must have been so magical here! 

I have to get going to my next film, but I will hopefully be reviewing very soon. A few hours ago I saw my first film. I can't wait to share my experience. This one film alone has changed my world. If I wasn't sure before, I am now 100% positive that small independent cinema is the line of work I want to be in. And it feels great. 

Twas the night before Sundance...

Hi All! Welcome to my first blog ever! For those of you who don't know, I am going to Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah from tomorrow until Sunday!! I was given this opportunity through the student run WUD Film Committee I am apart of here on campus. I feel very lucky! If all goes as planned, I fly into Salt Lake City around 10pm tomorrow night. After settling in and hopefully a good night's rest (I have a feeling I won't be sleeping very much this week), I will start my first day of movie and celebrity watching. So far, I have 8 pre purchased tickets. I will purchase more each day at the box office at the crack of dawn. If I reach my goal, I'll be seeing a grand total of 15 films in three days! Throughout my time there I will be reviewing all the films I see via this blog. If I end up loving this, I will keep this as a permanent film blog! I am SO excited and still can't believe I am going! For the next few days I'll be eating, sleeping, and breathing film. But what else is new?