Independent filmmaking puts on a big show at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. Movies from all over the world strut their stuff providing a canvas of different ideas, subjects and genres that challenge the brain and create a platform for excitement. The longest film festival on record, it spooled out hundreds of features, documentaries and short stories. The independent film category noses into the business with lower budgets but using equipment that makes their films look like the big boys. The following are a smattering of indies that received a lot of buzz after their films were shown and some that I had the opportunity to see.
FREE RIDE: A crime drama and relationship film that takes place in South Florida kicked off the festival. The film stars Anna Paquin as real life Christina Miller a mother of two daughters who makes the choice of inserting herself into drug trafficking in order to survive after transplanting from a dead-end life in Ohio. The audience received the film with lukewarm praise.
TROUBLE WITH THE TRUTH: The film was well represented with stars Jon Shea and Lea Thompson in attendance. The mainly two person film centers on divorced couple Robert (Shea) and Emily (Thompson) who get together over their daughter’s engagement. The two spend the film bringing up unresolved concerns, their good and bad memories of their past, and mistakes that could have been avoided in thee hour and a half film. The movie did offer entertainment for those who like a good face to face, but its predictability dampens the resolve. Average (C )
FAVOR: A fun little film that comes out of left field involves Kip and Marvin a couple of high school friends who are estranged and now in their 30’s getting back together when Kip accidently kills the girl with which he has been having an affair. Calling on Marvin to help him sort it all out because he made the statement when they were best buddies in school “…I would even kill for you”, he takes him to the task. When Kip says “I really owe you” Marvin decides to collect in a very strange way. Above Average (B)
BY WAY OF HOME: This very touching film delves into a teetering friendship and unresolved issues between two estranged twenty-something friends Brooke and Morgan. Morgan abruptly left her home town a couple of years back to pursue a career in New York and cut off contact with her best friend Brooke. Out of the blue Brooke gets a call from Morgan asking her if she can stay for a quick visit. When the two get together a story unfolds reaching into the hearts of the two friends that cannot come to grips with the separation. Above Average (B)
TOUR DE FORCE: One of the few sports films in the festival, this French comedy follows 40-year-old Francois Nouel a family man who opted to get married instead of ride in France’s Tour de Force bicycle race. Now after twenty years he gets the bug to take a stab at the grueling sports event in spite of his family wanting the vacation he promised them. I like this funny little film with a lot of heart that shows the will of a man who truly believes in himself and living his dream no matter what it takes to achieve it. Above average (B)
THE BOY WHO SMELLS LIKE FISH: An outstanding film by director Analeine Caly Mayor The Boy Who Smells Like Fish takes on a real life condition making it a fun, heartwarming and genuinely lovable story. From birth Mica has a defect that’s totally unexplainable, he smells fishy. His parents are disturbed by it, classmates avoid him and now entering his twenties where medicine has developed decides to do something about it. When he meets Laura however, his life starts to take a turn for the better. The fun little love story is a real showstopper and certainly deserves a chance at a larger audience. I’m making it one of the hits of my festival list and giving this surprising indie an (A).
LION ARK: One of the best documentaries in the festival, Lion Ark shows the tenacity and strong will of a group of people who set out to save Lions who are being abused. The English speaking film made in Bolivia, S.A. follows Animal Defenders International as they go undercover, set up raids and use their power to rescue Lions from the Circuses where they are being mistreated. Tightly wound and deliberate in the pursuit Jan Creamer and Tim Phillips show the dangers, point out the abuses and take charge of the situations in which they find themselves. The ultimate dream of bringing the beautiful animals to a place where they can live a normal existence seemed impossible, but the film shows otherwise. Much like the cause that helped the dolphins called The Cove, this film should be a target for this year’s Oscars. Excellent (A).
CINEMABILITIY: A very cool documentary on actors with disability and other challenges made its way onto the screen at the festival being accepted by the audience with rousing cheers and applause. The nicely made entertaining piece presents the impact that the film industry has had in using disabled actors in roles that earn the respect they deserve shows how it has spilled over into society. From Jamie Foxx’s portrayal of the blind Ray Charles to the physically challenged in films like The Men, Born on the Fourth of July, Best Years of our Lives and Children of a Lesser God. The film goes on to show how cinema has helped mold a mainframe of actors that are working in the industry today. Excellent (A)
Unfortunately one has to take the good with the bad and the following features, although admirable in their attempt, do not rise about average.
TWENTY MILLION PEOPLE: A romantic comedy about a guy who finds himself trying to sort out what went wrong with a relationship he thought was a slam dunk. It drags, gets too repetitious and predictable.
BLACK BOX: A strong-willed graduate student in theatre directs a group of fresh-faced undergrads in an adaptation of a gothic 80s young adult novel, a process that alters them all in unexpected ways. The arrival of the book’s author only furthers the ensemble’s journey into the very personal, very real origins of narrative. Almost makes the grade, but gets too over the top.
EXTRAORDINARY: Stan Romanek is at the center of world’s most documented extraterrestrial contact story, and the multitude of evidence accumulated over the past decade has convinced thousands around the world his story is true. Long and boring and a little too much sci-fi.
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
