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Martha's Vineyard Times is a weekly publication.
March 17 - March 23, 2005 Edition
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FILM Independent Film Festival reviews March 17, 2005 By Julian Wise
"Parallel Lines" Directed by Nina Davenport Ascent Media, 98 minutes "Parallel Lines" is a thought-provoking road movie that explores the psyche of post-9/11 America. In the film, Ms. Davenport drives from California to New York during the fall of 2001. Along the way she talks with random strangers who share touching, revealing, and often bizarre aspects of their personal lives. One woman tells of losing custody of her children. A veteran describes his harrowing battle with post-traumatic stress syndrome, while a cowboy reveals that his mother murdered his father. Through real people's stories, the film weaves humor, sadness, insight, poignancy, and an underlying affection for the resilient character of the American soul.
Directed by Duraid Munajim 48Media, 60 minutes Duraid Munajim was originally making a film about Iraqi exiles when the United States began its post-9/11 sword rattling against Saddam Hussein. This film chronicles both the lives of exiles and the fall of Baghdad. The short films range from standard interview clips to experimental audiovisual collages. Visual vignettes include exiles in Halifax, Nova Scotia, listening to the radio on the eve of war, the defacement of Saddam Hussein icons across Baghdad, and footage of thousands of families searching for loved ones who disappeared under Hussein's rule. The film weaves together the threads of hope and anxiety that bind Iraqis as the country heads into an uncertain future. “Surplus” Directed by Erik Gandini The Swedish Film Institute, 52 minutes This no-holds-barred broadside on rampant consumerism won the Silver Wolf Award at the IDFA Amsterdam Film Festival in 2003. The film was shot over three years in the US, China, Italy, India, Hungary, Canada, Sweden, and Cuba. The principal players in the film are George W. Bush, who encouraged Americans to keep the economy moving by shopping in the post-9/11 climate; Microsoft heads Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, who preach the gospel that the personal computer will bring people together and create peace on earth; Fidel Castro, who touts the anti-consumerist, advertising-free Cuban paradise; anti-advertising philosopher Kalle Lasn, who warns that our consumerist mentality is environmentally unstable; and maverick social critic John Zerzan, who calls for a radical anti-consumer agenda. Whether or not you agree with the agendas of the various speakers, it's difficult not to have your perspectives shifted by this thought-provoking film.
Directed by Heather Rae Appaloosa Pictures, 80 minutes Filmmaker Heather Rae spent more than 12 years chronicling the tumultuous life of Native American activist/poet John Trudell. By combining interview, concert, and archival footage, Rae crafts a portrait of a passionate, controversial figure who makes the transition from political activist to artist. The film tracks Trudell's involvement in the 21-month occupation of Alcatraz Island in 1969 to his work as national spokesman for the American Indian Movement during the 1970s. Trudell's work earned him one the longest FBI files in history - over 17,000 pages. In 1979 Trudell burned an American flag on the steps of the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. Within several hours his pregnant wife, three children, and mother-in-law perished in a suspicious arson fire on their Nevada reservation. After the tragedy, Trudell abandoned politics and reinvented himself as a poet, songwriter, and actor (“Thunderheart,” “Incident at Oglala”). Through Trudell's story, Rae captures the enduring desire of Native Americans to achieve the justice and respect that has long been denied them.
Directed Murray Nossel Two Spirit Productions, 85 minutes “Paternal Instinct” is a red-state nightmare, the story of two gay men who seek to pursue parenthood through a surrogate pregnancy. For those with an open mind, it's a touching and illuminating look at the changing face of the American family. Erik, a land conservationist, and Mark, a computer engineer, are two educated, professional men who desire a child. After placing an ad on the internet for a surrogate mother, the two encounter Wen, a married mother in Maine. After working out the paperwork details, the three begin a two-year odyssey that will take them through disappointment, anxiety, and ultimately joy. The film adds texture to the tale by including Mark and Erik's parents, who are supportive of their sons' decisions yet worry about Wen's willingness to give up the baby when the moment of birth arrives. Erik and Mark get to know Wen's family, including Wen's teenage son, Drew, who is surprisingly receptive to the concept of his mother bearing the child of a gay couple. “Paternal Instinct” demonstrates the universality of love that transcends political winds and religious dogma.
Directed by Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein First Run/Icarus Films, 87 minutes “The Take” is a documentary with all the makings of a political thriller as it delivers a withering broadside against rampant globalism. It follows the radical labor movement in Argentina, where unemployed workers occupy bankrupt factories and run them without the benefit of owners and bosses. The film chronicles the collapse of the Argentinean economy in 2001 that plunged one of Latin America's most prosperous middle classes into poverty overnight. The struggle of the workers to reclaim their dignity and livelihoods is set against the presidential election in which candidate Carlos Menem, the architect of the failed economic policy, seems headed for victory. If Menem wins, the efforts of the laborers to reclaim their livelihoods will unravel. “The Take” is a piercing look at what happens when economic policies put profits ahead of humanity. “Single On MV” Directed by Stacey Witt 46 minutes Hats off to Stacey Witt, whose debut film, “Single On MV,” provides a piercing, poignant glimpse into the lives of single men and women on Martha's Vineyard. To answer the question “Why are there so many single people on the Island who aren't meeting each other?” Witt interviewed 20-somethings, single mothers, widowers, and others who live without partners. We see Islanders describing their deep love for the Vineyard while decrying the paucity of activities and social outlets where one might meet a potential partner. Some individuals fill the void of singlehood by busying themselves with artistic projects, hobbies, and home repairs. Others declare their satisfaction with their single status, with varying degrees of believability. Painter Dennis Halloran's scathing rant on the bar scene is worth the price of festival admission alone. Witt is marvelously effective at capturing the humor, pain, exasperation, and hopefulness of the Island's single population. “Single On MV” is a fascinating piece of social analysis that forces Islanders to take a clear-eyed look at our strengths and dysfunctions. |
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