SIFF-ting through cinema, Pt. 2
By Dennis Hartley
The Seattle International Film Festival kicked off May 17, so over the next several posts I’ll be sharing highlights. SIFF is showing 433 films over 25 days. Navigating such an event is no easy task, even for a dedicated buff. Yet, I trudge on (cue the world’s tiniest violin). Hopefully, some of these films will be coming soon to a theater near you…
Being There (USA) – Like Sidney Lumet’s Network, Hal Ashby’s 1979 film becomes more vital with age (and especially timely, considering Donald J. Trump’s ascendancy). Adapted from Jerzy Kosinki’s novel by frequent (and here uncredited) Ashby collaborator Robert C. Jones, it is a wry political fable about a simpleton (Peter Sellers, in one of his greatest performances) who stumbles his way into becoming a Washington D.C. power player within an alarmingly short period of time. Richly drawn, finely layered, and superbly acted; from the leads (Sellers, Melvyn Douglas, Shirley MacLaine, Jack Warden, Richard Dysart) to smallest roles (especially the wonderful Ruth Attaway).
The Drummer and the Keeper (Ireland, USA) – Irish singer-songwriter Nick Kelly’s debut feature is a touching drama about an “odd-couple” friendship that develops between a troubled young drummer with bi-polar disorder and another young man with Asperger’s Syndrome. While it initially borrows liberally from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Rainman, the film eventually establishes its own unique voice, and thankfully avoids the cloying sentimentality of, say, I Am Sam. An infusion of that dark, dry Irish humor helps as well.
Rating: *** (Plays May 31 & June 1)
Every Act of Life (USA) –I’m not really a theater person (but some of my best friends are…does that count?), so I confess that I’ve only seen one of multiple-Tony Award winning playwright/librettist Terrence McNally’s works-and that was the movie version (The Ritz, if you must pry). That said, I found Jeff Kaufman’s affable documentary portrait of the prolific writer and gay activist enlightening and engaging. The film tells his life story, from small-town Texas roots to his inevitable trek to NYC to conquer Broadway. Fascinating archival footage, plus colorful anecdotes from the likes of Nathan Lane (one of McNally’s latter-day acting muses), Rita Moreno, Meryl Streep and Bryan Cranston, all topped off by candid reminiscences from McNally (still going strong at 79).
Rating: *** (Plays May 31 & June 2)
Rueben Blades Is Not My Name (Panama, Argentina, Columbia) – Abner Benaim’s intimate portrait of polymath Rueben Blades is full of surprises. For example, you wouldn’t think an accomplished singer-songwriter-musician, actor, Harvard-educated lawyer, politician and social activist would find time to geek out over his sizable comic book and memorabilia collection. “You’re the first ones to film in here. I don’t let anyone in here,” he tells the filmmakers, leading them into this sanctum sanctorum within his Chelsea, NY apartment, wistfully adding, “You’re the first and the last.” Wistful, perhaps because he is now voluntarily closing a major chapter of his life (touring and performing) to focus his energy into running for President of Panama (as one does). An inspiring film.
Rating: **** (Plays May 27 and June 5)
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda (Japan, USA) – There’s a wonderful moment of Zen in Stephen Nomura Schible’s documentary where his subject, Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, after much experimentation with various “found” sounds, finally gets the “perfect” tonality for one single note of a work in progress. “It’s strangely bright,” he observes, with the delighted face of a child on Christmas morning, “but also…melancholic.” One could say the same about Schible’s film; it’s strangely bright, but also melancholic. You could also say it is but a series of such Zen moments; a deeply reflective and meditative glimpse at the most intimate workings of the creative process. It’s also a document of Sakamoto’s quiet fortitude, as he returns to the studio after taking a hiatus to engage in anti-nuke activism and to battle his cancer. A truly remarkable film.
Rating: **** (Plays May 29, May 30, & June 8)
* (Austria) – You see, the thing about “experimental films” is that…they’re experiments. And the viewer gets the dubious privilege of being the lab rat. How do I describe this one in particular? To paraphrase Keir Dullea in the film 2010: “My god, it’s full of stars!” Hence, the film’s title. I could also describe it as being 90 minutes too long, because Johann Lurf’s, high concept collage would have made a great 10 minute short. Lurf curated every filmed image of starry skyscapes he could get his mitts on, spanning from 1905 to 2017, and then condensed them chronologically into a narrative-free film. The clever bit is, you also get a condensed look at how film technology itself has evolved over 100 years. Something else you may get from this 99-minute flash-cut endurance test: a bout of vertigo, or an epileptic seizure. You have been warned: Watch at your own risk.
Rating: **½ (Plays June 2 & June 3)
More SIFF coverage at Den of Cinema!
— Dennis Hartley