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!
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