“RED HOOK Summer”
PARK CITY, Utah — We’re back in this snowcapped mountain town to relax and watch film after film featured in the Sundance Film Festival, which is often described as the preeminent venue of indie filmmaking.
Below is a sampling of the interesting entries including some curiosities, for sure, but that’s what Sundance would like to be known for—where personal, idiosyncratic, adventurous fare is encouraged.
The synopsis and description are provided by the entries’ publicists. I hope the films live up to their promise.
‘Robot & Frank’
“Set in the near future, aging curmudgeon and retired jewel thief Frank (Frank Langella) lives a solitary life until his son (James Marsden) installs a caretaker robot for him against his and his daughter’s (Liv Tyler) wishes. The robot upends Frank’s lonely life—filled only with books and a visit to his favorite librarian—with a strict regimen of exercise, diet and gardening. Stubborn at first, Frank soon realizes the robot has the ability to pull off the most calculated of heists. An unlikely friendship, and crime duo, is born.”
Peter Sarsgaard, Jeremy Sisto and Jeremy Strong also star, with direction by Jake Schreier.
“ROBOT and Frank”
‘V/H/S’
“A group of delinquents infamous for filming their illegal exploits and posting the videos online are hired by an unknown party to find a rare VHS tape. They break into the desolate country house where the tape is supposedly kept, and are confronted with a dead body, a hub of old TV sets and an endless supply of cryptic tapes, each more horrific than the last.”
David Bruckner, Glenn McQuaid, Radio Silence, Joe Swanberg, Ti West and Adam Wingard direct segments.
‘Your Sister’s Sister’
“The fourth feature from Sundance award-winning filmmaker Lynn Shelton (‘Humpday’), ‘Your Sister’s Sister’ is a tale of grief, romance and sibling rivalry. A year after his brother Tom’s death, Jack (Mark Duplass) is an emotionally unstable slacker. When he makes a scene at a memorial party, Tom’s ex-girlfriend Iris (Emily Blunt) offers her family cabin on an island in the Pacific Northwest, so Jack can seek catharsis in solitude. Once there, however, he runs into Iris’ sister Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt), a lesbian reeling from the abrupt end of a seven-year relationship. She finds solace in the affable Tom’s unexpected presence, and the two bond over a long night of drinking. The blurry evening concludes with an awkward sexual incident made worse by Iris’ sudden presence at the cabin the next morning, which sets into motion a twisted tale of complicated relationships.”
“SEARCHING For Sugar Man”
‘Price Check’
Writer/director Michael Walker’s entry is about “Pete Cozy (Eric Mabius) who does his best juggling family life, rising debt and a dead-end job. But when his new boss, Susan (Parker Posey), a sexy, powerful, human dynamo, shows up, Pete is pulled into the maelstrom that is her life and made to work harder than he ever has before. Suddenly, money and opportunities come his way, but at what price?”
‘The Comedy’
“Indifferent even to the prospects of inheriting his father’s estate, Swanson (Tim Heidecker), a desensitized, aging Brooklyn hipster, strays into a series of reckless situations that may offer the promise of redemption or the threat of retribution.” Directed by Rick Alverson.
‘Kid-Thing’
“Out in the Texas countryside, the days of 10-year-old Annie (newcomer Sydney Aguirre) are filled with solitary mischief. Annie has no friends her age; her father (Nathan Zellner), a goat farmer-cum-demolition derby driver, does little parenting. Playing in the woods one day, she hears a plaintive call for help from a woman (Oscar-nominated actress Susan Tyrrell) in an abandoned well. Though Annie feels driven to visit the well daily, she is unsure about how to deal with the woman’s plight.” Directed by David Zellne
‘Save the Date’
“After an ill-timed and very public marriage proposal, fiercely independent Sarah (Lizzy Caplan) breaks up with her overeager boyfriend Kevin (Geoffrey Arend). Sarah turns to her sister Beth (Alison Brie) for support, but Beth is too busy obsessing over the details of her own wedding to Kevin’s band mate, Andrew (Martin Starr). Sarah finds herself caught up in an intense rebound romance with the adorable Jonathan (Mark Webber) and is forced to examine her own fears of commitment and vulnerability.” Directed by Michael Mohan.
‘Red Hook Summer’
Spike Lee wrote and directed this “story of an Atlanta boy who comes to Red Hook for the first time to spend the summer with his grandfather, a minister. They have never met. The grandfather is a devout minister who tries to get his grandson to accept Jesus Christ as his personal savior. The boy, raised in middle-class Atlanta, far from the difficulties of New York life, refuses He does not believe in God. He thinks his summer in Red Hook is a punishment meted out by his single mother. He feels doomed to spend the summer doing repairs on the dilapidated church of his grandfather, a hardworking furnace fireman for The New York City Housing Authority. The boy sees the Red Hook Projects as a foreign country of weird characters unlike the sunny, well-to-do black folks back home.
“At home they drive cars, have swimming pools in their yards, multiple TV sets, computers, good schools, and all the things a kid needs. In Red Hook, it’s hot, there’s nothing to do, too many people speak Spanish, he has no friends. His summer appears to be a total disaster until he meets a pretty black girl his age. She’s a member of his grandfather’s church. The young girl shows him the wonderful aspects of Red Hook and Brooklyn life. Through her and his grandfather’s love, the boy realizes that there is indeed a God.”
Documentaries
‘The Imposter’
“In 1994, a 13-year-old boy disappeared without a trace from his home in San Antonio, Texas. Three and a half years later, he is found alive in southern Spain with a horrifying story of kidnap and torture. His family is overjoyed to bring him home, but all is not quite as it seems. The boy bears many of the same distinguishing marks he always did, but he now has a strange accent and looks so different. Why doesn’t the family notice these? It’s only when an investigator starts asking questions that the strange tale takes an even stranger turn.” Directed by Bart Layton.
‘Searching for Sugar Man’
“From first-time director Malik Bendjelloul and producer Simon Chinn (‘Man on Wire,’ ‘Project Nim’) comes an unpredictable and fascinating film about the greatest ’70s US rock icon who never was. In the late ’60s, a musician was discovered in a Detroit bar by two celebrated producers struck by his soulful melodies and prophetic lyrics. They recorded an album that they believed was going to secure his reputation as one of the greatest recording artists of his generation. In fact, the album bombed and the singer disappeared amid rumors of a gruesome onstage suicide.
“But a bootleg recording found its way into apartheid South Africa, where it struck a chord with liberal Afrikaners disaffected with their government, and became a phenomenon. When two South African fans set out to find out what really happened to their hero, their investigation led them to a story more extraordinary than any of the existing myths about the artist known as Rodriguez.”
‘West of Memphis’
“What began as an investigation to expose key developments in an infamous murder case developed into a devastating account of what happens when justice fails both the living and the dead. From Academy Award-nominated director Amy Berg (‘Deliver Us From Evil’) in collaboration with first- time producers Damien Echols and Lorri Davis, and acclaimed Academy Award-winning filmmakers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, comes a powerful examination of a catastrophic failure of justice in Arkansas. It tells the inside story behind a desperate fight to bring the truth to light, which leads three young men, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr.—once branded as ‘killers’—to reclaim their lives.”
‘Finding North’
“In the United States, 49 million people—or one in four children — don’t know where their next meal is coming from, despite the country having the means to provide nutritious, affordable food for all Americans. Directors Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush examine this issue through the eyes of three people struggling with food insecurity: Barbie, a single Philadelphia mother who grew up in poverty and is providing for her two kids; Rosie, a Colorado second-grader who depends on friends and neighbors to feed her and has trouble concentrating in school; and Tremonica, a Mississippi second-grader who has asthma and health issues.
“The stories are interwoven with insights from experts including sociologist Janet Poppendieck, author Raj Patel and nutrition policy leader Marion Nestle; ordinary citizens like Pastor Bob Wilson, teachers Leslie Nichols and Odessa Cherry; and activists such as Witness to Hunger’s Mariana Chilton, “Top Chef’s” Tom Colicchio and Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges.”
‘Putin’s Kiss’
“This docu focuses on a popular Russian youth organization with direct ties to the Kremlin: Nashi. Officially committed to advancing ‘antifascist and antioligarchic-capitalist’ ideals, Nashi members are often found promoting the country’s main political party, United Russia, and measures sponsored by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Nashi has become a powerful presence in many aspects of Russian life. Despite opposition from intellectuals, the group continues to attract an increasing number of young Russians, making it one of the country’s most powerful indoctrination forces.
“In one of their annual summer camps, Vasily Yakemenko, the group’s creator and leader, told a crowd of teenagers: ‘In exactly eight days, you will leave as a different person.’ Specifically, ‘Putin’s Kiss’ traces the evolution of Masha Drokova, a middle-class 19-year-old girl who joined the group at age 16 and quickly became a spokesperson for the organization. Her direct access to Yakemenko, now the country’s Minister of Youth, gave Masha her own TV show and many financial perks, including the chance to meet (and kiss) Putin.”
‘The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom’
“Survivors in the areas hardest hit by Japan’s recent tsunami find the courage to revive and rebuild as cherry blossom season begins. A stunning visual haiku about the ephemeral nature of life and the healing power of Japan’s most beloved flower, directed by Academy Award nominated filmmaker Lucy Walker.”
‘The Atomic States of America’
“Based on Kelly McMasters’ memoir about growing up in a nuclear-reactor community, this stirring film illustrates the dire health consequences for many residents in Shirley, her Long Island hometown. Yet despite the known risks of utilizing nuclear power, the country’s rapidly increasing energy needs are fueling a nuclear renaissance. Acutely topical—given the recent Fukushima disaster in Japan—‘The Atomic States of America’ convincingly encapsulates both the history of this allegedly clean source of energy and the collective denial of a potentially looming disaster at our aging sites.”
‘Big Boys Gone Bananas!*’
“In April 2009, Swedish filmmakers Fredrik Gertten and Margarete Jangård learned that the world premiere of ‘Bananas!*’ their documentary about a lawsuit against the Dole Food Company would take place at a major film festival in Los Angeles. Within weeks, they were embroiled in a legal and public-relations battle to save their premiere, their film, their reputations, and their freedom of speech.”
‘China Heavyweight’
“In southwestern China, state athletic coaches scour the countryside to recruit poor, rural teenagers who demonstrate a natural ability to throw a good punch. Moved into boxing training centers, these boys and girls undergo a rigorous regimen that grooms them to be China’s next Olympic heroes and also prepares them for life outside the ring. As these young boxers develop, the allure of turning professional for personal gain and glory competes with the main philosophy behind their training—to represent their country. Interconnected with their story is that of their charismatic coach, Qi Moxiang, who—now in his late 30s and determined to win back lost honor—trains for a significant fight.”
(E-mail the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com. Follow him at https://twitter.com/nepalesruben.)