Exit 117 (Kevin James McMullin) ***1/2
Here's a nice little slice of life about a group of friends just graduated from high school that are trying to figure out what to do with their lives. Now that description sounds pretty generic. It's certainly a common premise for independent films and I was disappointed in last year's similarly themed The New Twenty. However, Exit 117's winning characters help make this one of the better examples of this genre.
It's quite an achievement for writer-director Kevin James McMullin that he's able to create characters that are so sharply drawn and multi-dimensional when he's dealing with so many of them. There are at least 7 central characters and many other supporting that are also well drawn. The decision to hire actors with no experience pays off because they give very natural performances that help create a sense of authenticity.
Also remarkable is that the film was made for only $850, yet McMullin was able to craft it so well that there were no technical issues hampering enjoyment of the film. In fact, there are several impressive shots throughout and the director is really able to create a nice sense of place in this seemingly dead end New Jersey town. The plot description mentions that it is meant to be an antidote to MTV's Jersey Shore and they've certainly accomplished that. This is a positive, uncynical look at real people with real hopes and fears.
The Myth of Time (Jaguar X) 1/2*
A surrealist film from director Jaguar X (whatever) based on the Mayan creation myth. This is one dreadful film and I pretty much hated every single second of it. It is overly pretentious filmmaking at its worst and possibly the worst film I have ever seen in 11 years of attending the Atlanta Film Festival.
I had to read the guide to get the plot because I barely understood anything that happened. Apparently, it's about "The Dark Eyed One ... and his experiences as a child solider, first love, and ultimately The Revelation". That's great, but I shouldn't have to read the press kit to figure out what I just saw. Example: There's a tribal scene where a white man keeps repeatedly talking about what his "Negro mother" is going to do to the hero. I'm sure Mr. Jaguar X knows what that means, but I'm honestly not interested.
The film is also extremely unpleasant. It's filled with ugly violence (at one point, there's a series of shots showing kids being murdered) and disturbing sexual situations. I've seen worse in other movies, but without a narrative that makes sense it is just unpleasant and difficult to watch. As things got worse and worse, I started to pass the time by counting how many people walked out of the screening. My final number came to 18.
The Mountain Thief (Gerry Balasta) ****
There's perhaps no bigger contrast between two movies than The Mountain Thief and The Myth of Time. There's also perhaps no better way to illustrate my taste in film than the different approaches made by these two filmmakers. The Mountain Thief is a genuinely heartfelt story that is the very antithesis of pretentious filmmaking.
Director Gerry Balasta tells us a story about a poor family that lives in a Philippines garbage town, where trash has been dumped so often that it has actually created a mountain of garbage. The people in this community make their living by collecting trash and there seems to be very little hope of finding a way out, especially since it makes more financial sense for the family to have children helping than sending them to school. Julio and his blind child Ingo are barely getting by when tragedy strikes and threatens not only their place in the community, but more importantly their rights to collect garbage.
Instead of hiring professional actors, Balasta picked his cast from people that lived in the garbage town and conducted an acting workshop with them. The result is (much like Exit 117) natural acting that manages to be quite affecting. The film also looks beautiful, with many grand shots of the mountain, suggesting that despite the misery that these people live in, the mountain takes on an almost mythic quality and is seemingly revered by the characters. After all, it's all they've got. The end credits contain information on the real people involved, and what Balasta has helped do for them since the movie was made. If you don't find this moving, then you must have made a deal with the devil.
Who Saw Him? (Claudia Rorarius) **
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From the Pink Peach program (films about LGBT issues) comes this strange German film from director Claudia Rorarius. It follows a gay man in his thirties as he attempts to find the father that he last saw 25 years earlier. This journey takes him to Italy where he tries to get on a family reunion show hosted by a transvestite.
The most odd thing about this movie is the bleak and flat tone. This is a very dry story that lacks any kind of emotional power, which is a serious detriment for a story that feels very personal. After all, the lead actor is playing himself and the story is based on events in his own life. Thus, it seems like a bizarre choice for the director to hold back so much in almost every single scene.
Gianni Meurer does a solid job playing himself in the lead role. There is one long monologue halfway through where the film seems to pick up some emotional momentum. But the director quickly puts a halt to that. It's also a rather unpleasant film to look at as the filmmaker overemphasizes darkness to set the mood. With little emotion and an awful visual scheme, the is an unpleasant film to watch.
Animation Extravaganza
This is always one of my favorite programs at the festival and I was actually disappointed that they reverted back to one program instead of the two they showed last year. (Note: some of these were pre-screened and the reviews are repeated here)...
The Adventures of Ledo and Ix (Emily Carmichael) ***
Animated short that follows two video game characters from an old fashioned Final Fantasy-style adventure game (see picture above) as they ponder their existence and wander into that black space past the edge of the map. It's a clever premise with funny and solid execution
The Anchorite (Matthew Maloney) ***
This one uses a haunting visual style to tell the story of a homeless artist struggling to complete a mural and to find a place for himself. Interesting story that is wonderful to look at.
The Fence Underneath Us (Steven Bednar) **1/2
A fox narrates about his life on a fox farm, discovering that there is a fence underneath preventing him from tunneling out. This one is only 3 minutes and too short to be memorable.
Goodbye Mr. Pink (Helen Piercy) ***1/2
A mixture of live action and stop motion animation is used tell this story about a rabbit that has just died and two kids discussing what the rabbit's afterlife will be like. They are unaware that their words have a direct effect on the rabbit's afterlife. This is a charming story with many hilarious moments.
Happy and Strictly in 'Fuzzy Business' (Robert Paraguassu, Layne Braunstein) ***
Two animated characters (kinda shaped like the ghosts in Pac Man) that appear to be street cleaners pass the time by dreaming about being so rich they can start their own Bearline (get it?). Amusing enough and impressive animation considering this was made in 48 hours.
Horn Dog (Bill Plympton) **1/2
The fourth in Bill Plympton's animated shorts series about an oddly shaped dog (kinda looks like a really fat bat) and his comic misadventures. Last year I enjoyed previous entry in the series Fire Dog. In this one, he takes a liking to an exquisite female show dog, but her owner isn't happy about it. This one has a couple funny moments, but the twist isn't very funny and the hero not quite as likeable this time around.
Ledo and Ix Go to Town (Emily Carmichael) ***1/2
Remember those old school RPG's when you finally found a new town but were constantly frustrated at all the NPC townsfolk that were absolutely useless? That's where our heroes Ledo and Ix find themselves in this hilarious sequel than surpasses its predecessor. Other hilarious bits involve Ix's obsessions with upgrading and equipping weapons and Ledo's struggle to take a chicken out of town.
The Lighthouse (Yelislava Gospodinova) ***1/2
A lighthouse keeper is horrified by the death of birds that are attracted to his lighthouse and keep crashing through the windows to their deaths. He comes up with a solution, but it could have tragic consequences. Eerie story that feels like an animated Twilight Zone episode. Black and white animation style adds alot to the atmosphere.
The Machine (Rob Shaw) ***
Second time seeing this one and I liked it alot more this time around. A machine powered by gears (and nickels) tells a story about a man that creates a robot and watches the robot destroy everything and everyone. Has an interesting animation style and haunting score, but the ending is still a bit predictable.
Prayers For Peace (Dustin Grella) ****
Incredibly moving story about a man dealing with the loss of his brother who was a soldier that died in Iraq. This was drawn using pastels on a chalkboard and we see each scene drawn from scratch. This helps create an intimate, emotional vibe. There's a shocking audio cue at the end that shows just how personal the film is for director Dustin Grella.
Spaceman on Earth (Shant Hamassian) ***
Another animated outing that combines animation and live action. This is a funny science fiction story set in the 50s about an astronaut hero who keeps accidentally annoying his alien neighbor to no end and eventually finds himself on the run as a suspected communist.
The Story of Scrivener and His Aislyn (Evan Curtis) ***
One of the more disappointing entries in this program. The idea is solid: a young boy finds a film canister in the ocean and falls in love with the power of movies. He goes about filming things with his old camera. I love the use of old film footage inserted into the animation, creating a nice constrast to get across the point of how powerful the cinema can be. The film just feels like it needed to be fleshed out a bit more to create the kind of magic it is looking for.
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