Tuesday: Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
All of us enjoyed this documentary very much, though after a day of traveling and skiing, I'm sorry to say that Dad and I catnapped through bits and pieces of it. This was not a reflection on the film, however, and more the result of being exhausted and sitting in a dark room. Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist who has a long history of defying the oppressive government which tries to censor him. He is a brave and fascinating man who uses social media like Twitter to share his experiences of rebellion with the world in real time. His motto: Don't retreat. Retweet! This film is absolutely worth watching.Wednesday: Where Do We Go Now?
I was really excited about this movie, but found myself just a tiny bit disappointed by it. It is set in a small village in Lebanon, populated by a mix of Christians and Muslims. The women in the village, tired of burying their warring men each time a spat ensues, resort to outlandish tactics to prevent their finding out that tensions between the two groups in other parts of the country have erupted (again) in violence. They stage a fake message from God, bring in Russian prostitutes to serve as a distraction, and take further zany measures which I will not give away here. Others in our group thought the movie was slow at times. I didn't think so, and I appreciated the way the characters were developed; the women were both tough and endearing and completely personable. There were two musical numbers cheesy enough to remind me of Bollywood, however, and while most of the movie did a good job of presenting a serious subject in a light-hearted manner, there were a few tragic scenes that were jarringly realistic and sad, which didn't seem to fit the established tone. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this film.Thursday: Finding North
This documentary explored the causes and effects of hunger in America, revealing that it is a more pervasive problem than most people know. It primarily followed a fifth grade girl and various members of her community and a single mother in Philadelphia, with commentary from various experts on health, education, public policy, and social services. I especially appreciated that it explained the link between obesity and hunger, which seems to be contradictory before one digs below the surface.* While the audience seemed to be universally interested in and touched by the movie, certain members of our party were extremely critical because the film alluded to solutions to the problem without actually stating clearly what should be done. I thought it was an admirable piece of journalism designed to pique public interest in a major problem. Given the time constraints, I thought it was not feasible to thoroughly portray the causes and effects of hunger and present a comprehensive solution in the same film.Friday: (Short Films)
When one buys tickets to a series of shorts, it is almost guaranteed that many of them are going to be fairly bizarre. This series was no exception. We saw 7 short films in the space of 100 minutes, which were shot in different parts of the world and explored a variety of themes. I particularly liked the one about the street children in Ethiopia, which did a good job of portraying the starkness of their lives but had an uplifting ending anyway. I'm still scratching my head at the symbolism from other films.Saturday: Shadow Dancer and Elena
We had a double-header on Saturday. The first film, Shadow Dancer, was very well done. It told the story of an Irish woman who is part of a Republican family in Dublin. Her brothers are involved in acts of terrorism against the English, and she is dragged into the whole mess. The plot grew increasingly twisted, however, to the point that the four of us picked each others' brains for 20 minutes after it was over to try to explain it to ourselves. I am all in favor of intricate stories, but there are some things I never ended up figuring out, which was a tad frustrating. Still, I thought the acting was fantastic, and the themes compelling.
Our last film, unfortunately, was probably the worst of the whole festival as far as we were concerned. Interestingly, the director was not present for the Q and A at the end of the show because he was in Russia, his home country and setting for the film, collecting awards for best Russian movie and best director in their version of the Oscars. I can't imagine what the competition must have been like... Elena is the story of a woman from a modest background who marries a wealthy man late in her life. He refuses to help her support her delinquent, adult son and his family, and she has to choose whose side she will take. Although some people found the ending of the movie unsatisfying, I did not; it didn't answer all questions, but it left one thinking, which is an approach I like. My complaint was with the pace. This was one of the slowest movies I have ever watched, and could have been told in just about half the time without losing anything (in my opinion). It would have even made an interesting short.Despite mixed feelings about many of the films from this year, I really enjoyed the whole experience. Discussing the films afterward, particularly if no consensus has been reached, is the best part of Sundance for me, and our selections this year left us with plenty to talk about. I look forward to doing it all again next year!
*With the prevalence of cheap processed foods, the coincidence of malnourishment and obesity is increasingly common. Foods high in calories, fat, and carbohydrates are cheaper than foods high in nutrients, so the poor often find they can afford soda but not milk, or ramen noodles and chips but not vegetables and fruit. This leads to extra pounds, but simultaneously results in people who are under-nourished and therefore lacking in energy and at risk for lots of health problems. Nutrient-poor diets are especially devastating to children, hindering physical and cognitive development.
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