Sundance is in full swing and we are seeing as many films as possible. We take a bus to the Temple Theatre, located on the outskirts of Park City, to catch Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child. This film features footage (supposedly the only known to exist) of the artist taken by his friend, filmmaker Tamra Davis, and a collection of interviews from those who knew him. The short film that precedes the film, Last Address, is also noteworthy. This short shows buildings in New York that were the former residences of artists who died from AIDS. It is a good pairing with the Basquiat film and all of its references to the New York art scene. Our reactions to the film are spilt: one of us (Jenn) is a Basquiat fan and thus enjoys the film far more than the other (Chris), who does not enjoy it as much.
Our next screening is another biopic of sorts. Howl blends the work of Allen Ginsberg into a tale told by a young Ginsberg (played amazingly well by James Franco), a courtroom trial questioning the obscenities found in Howl (with a Draper-esque Jon Hamm nailing it as a defense attorney) and striking animation interspersed with the spoken word of the film's namesake. The result is almost poetic itself and we can understand why this film was the opening night selection. During the Q & A, directors Rob Epstein and Jeffery Friedman reveal that they used official transcripts for all the dialog during the courtroom and interview scenes — although they did some creative editing and arranging to provide a coherent narrative. The film feels like a work of art in its own right and it quickly becomes our festival favorite thus far.
During the festival, there are several surprise screenings and we are lucky to attend the one for It’s a Wonderful Afterlife. Directed by Gurinder Chadha, who may be best known for Bend It Like Beckham, this is a quirky romantic comedy with a bunch of ghosts and an unforgettable tribute to the prom scene from Carrie. Though the film is primarily about an Indian family and the mother’s quest to find a husband for her daughter, the unexpected (and often hilarious) subplots steal the show. We recognize Sendhil Ramamurthy (he plays Mohinder Suresh in NBC's Heroes) before the screening and possibly spook him by pointing at him in the crowd. Like the rest of the cast, he gives a great performance and we thoroughly enjoy this movie.
Our eleventh and final film at SFF2010 is Cane Toads: The Conquest. This is the first 3D film either of us has seen at Sundance (only one other has screened in the history of the festival, 2008's concert documentary of U2, Vertigo) and we are excited to be at this year's underground buzz film. What is even more exciting (at least to the director and his Aussie crew) is that the film, shot entirely in Australia, is premiering on Australia Day.
Before the screening starts, we are filmed in crowd shots wearing our 3D glasses. Filmmaker Mark Lewis made Cane Toads: An Unnatural History ten years ago and this film is an update to his earlier work. Chronicling the rampant spread of cane toads (which were imported from South America in the 1930s) across the Australian continent, the film presents environmental issues in a highly amusing manner. One scene shows a dog licking toads and having a reaction similar to someone using LSD. Other scenes show people trying to eradicate the toads, only to have the toads outwit them. Even though they have disrupted indigenous species, it is hard not to cheer for the toads in this film. During the Q & A, Lewis admits he is biased toward them and that no toads were hurt in the making of the movie. The director also discusses challenges and creative opportunities of 3D filmmaking at length and is really supportive of the medium. He even gives a gentle nod to the current 3D blockbuster by calling his film "Avatoad." It is a great film to end our festival and we have a blast watching the toads in 3D.
This article appears in Jan 27 – Feb 2, 2010.