Our day begins with a visit to Temple, our least favorite venue. It is closer to Kimball Junction than Main Street and there is only one bus that goes there. We are excited to see our only documentary of this fest, Detropia, a film about the decline of Detroit. It falls somewhat short of our expectations, focusing on the downfall of the auto industry and the outsourcing of jobs. Current and relevant problems no doubt, but we had hoped to see something more along the lines of the Ruins of Detroit about decaying structures. Still, it is a good film, as the filmmakers try to tackle an enormous theme by focusing on a tapestry of local individuals in 90 minutes.
- Jennifer Dietz
- Detropia filmmakers
From Detropia, we go straight to our next screening in the midst of a healthy snowstorm. Robot and Frank (played perfectly by Frank Langella) is a futuristic tale about a retired cat burglar with a failing memory, who is given a caretaker robot by his grown children (played by Liv Tyler & James Marsden). Frank rejects the robot initially, until he realizes it can assist him with criminal mischief. Robot and Frank is part drama, part dark comedy. It is set in the near-future, perhaps 20 years from now, and its scenarios are disturbingly believable. It is a future where robots do human jobs; the local library is a bookless “social center,” run by a sketchy consulting company; and paper materials have become relics. It’s a complex, thoroughly enjoyable film and our favorite up to this point.
- Jennifer Dietz
- Robot and Frank cast
