Review: Sundance Film Festival 2009 (Part V)

SUNDANCE DAY FIVE: Saturday, January 24th, 2009

With the weekend signalling the last days of our trip, Tomo and I camped out at Eccles yet again for most of Saturday...

SCREENING #14 - Moon (UK)

Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey headline another cerebral sci-fi tale, albeit one far more interesting, engaging, and accessible. Rockwell plays Sam Bell, an employee of a lunar mining company whose three-year stint on the moon's surface is about to end. He is assisted by his loyal, witty robot Gerty, voiced by Kevin Spacey. As he counts down to the moment he can finally go home and rejoin his family, strange things begin to happen that lead Sam to question his very existence.

Unlike The Clone Returns Home, this mildy complex tale leaves enough clues to follow, and is engaging enough that we can pick up on them. There are a handful of elements both visual and thematic that resonate of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The brilliance of Moon, though, is how the film references those elements but then moves in completely different directions from what 2001 would lead us to expect. It's challenging, but entertaining, particularly when we see the relationship that Sam has with his robot companion, his surroundings, and the unexpected company that Sam encounters during the last half of the film. The best part is that I do not feel that one needs to be a sci-fi afficianado to enjoy Moon. Between the storyline and the strong performances of Rockwell and Spacey, Moon is a thought-provoking film many people can enjoy.

SCREENING #15 - 500 Days of Summer (USA)

When a young man falls in love and is able to successfully pursue his lady, one might think that we find ourselves at a "happily ever after". Yet for Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 500 Days of Summer, there is no happy ending, nor was there a successful pursuit, despite the contrary. Zooey Deschanel plays the title character of Summer, who appears to be wooed by the hapless greeting-card writer Tom, yet firmly maintains the refrain of "We're just friends". This film was yet another familar tale for me. The poor guy takes her on dates, dances with her, sings with her, kisses her, even sleeps with her--yet to her, it's all platonic. What would be an otherwise whirlwind romance is rendered inert. And the struggle that is faced then is whether or not relationships can go one or two ways. Yet another story of my life. Both our leads are superb, and we're hooked the whole way, rooting and lamenting for the sad man to which far too many of the "nice guys" can relate. And Zooey is to die for, with her ice-blue eyes and her charms. We can't help but fall in love with her alongside poor Tom. Despite its personally difficult thematic material, I found the writing to be another shining element, with humor and endearing dialogue throughout. A very different boy-meets-girl story, but a refreshing one at that.

SCREENING #16 - Animation Spotlight

A diverse hodge-podge of 10 animated shorts, including the 2009 Academy Award-nominated This Way Up. Some were memorable, others weren't. This lineup included:

This Way Up (UK)
Here, Earth, Heart (France)
Dear Beautiful (USA)
Skhizein (France)
Out of Control (Mexico)
Mister Cok (France)
Hot Dog (USA)
I Am So Proud of You (USA)
Western Spaghetti (USA)
The Yellow Bird (USA)

Among the shorts that stood out to me most was Hot Dog. A quirky, lampooning tale of a small, squat dog aspiring to be part of the Fire Department, Hot Dog is reminiscent of a much older--and often vastly superior--cartoon legacy. Skhizein chronicles a man hit by a meteorite and how it has forced him exactly 91 cm from everything else in existence. Dear Beautiful is a chilling story featuring marital strife and its placement in the center of a deadly, transforming epidemic in suburbia. And finally, This Way Up is the tale of a funeral director and his son and their epic struggle to get one casket into its proper burial plot. Each were entertaining and engaging for their uniqueness; some were very funny, others straightforward and sincere.

Following our animation sojourn, Tomo and I met Selena at The Eating Establishment, a tasty little hole-in-the wall on historic Main Street. I indulged once more in Western flavorings, savoring their pulled pork and their famous ribs in one go. Delicious. Like the other restaurants I enjoyed dinner at, the place is a must if you spend any time in Park City. From there we headed to our last screening, this one at the Prospector Square Theatre...

SCREENING #16 - Shorts Program V

A selection of shorts:

Captain Coulier (space explorer) (Canada)
A campy, low-budget spoof in the vein of Star Trek and Firefly, yet featuring a decidedly Canadian commander and his wacky cast. Captain Coulier is on the hunt for yet another lady, yet his own foibles get in the way of both his quest and relations with his crew. Very cheap production value, but a delight in being cleverly written and performed.

Crocodiles and I (Brazil)
A young girl copes with being skinny in a curve-worshipping, metropolitan society. She often retreats to the wetlands to daringly wade in crocodile-infested waters, reinforcing the confidence she must wield in her life. Introspective and real.

A Mate (Finland)
Two friends and bandmates explore the mechanics of male-on-male intimacy while one's wife is in-and-out of their dwelling. Roaringly funny and awkward.

Wunderkammer (USA) (CalArts MFA thesis)
A middle-aged special needs man, obsessed with the many birds he owns, is cared for by his elderly mother. Well-acted, but excruciatingly paced and uncomfortable to an alienating degree. The climax involves both of them stripping down so she can bathe her son as he caresses a pheasant in the tub. People walked out of the theatre during this one. Admirable that an MFA thesis got in, especially one so well-performed and beautfully shot. Proof that story does trump production value, though.

Boutonniere (USA)
A girl prepares for her senior prom, assisted by her overbearing mother. Awkward, but amusingly so, especially after the twist is revealed. Not overwhelmingly amazing, but a quirky, honest sell.

Knife Point (USA) (NYU MFA thesis)
A shady individual is picked up by an evangelistic family, avoids being converted and discovers their shocking secret. Again, well-composed and well-shot, and intriguing subject material--a sort-of commentary on the dangers of fundamentalist religion. Still something was missing for me... Perhaps it was the acting. Another MFA thesis, this time from NYU.

Netherland Dwarf (Australia)
A young boy pines after his dream rabbit while his now-single father tends to him. Sad and sincere, and even funny at times, this was an endearing look at a father and son. Nothing fancy aesthetically, but that leaves everything to the superb writing and performing. Most enjoyable.

Needless to say, it was extremely encouraging to see two MFA theses being screened at the festival among professionally-produced shorts. Even more encouraging was that neither of them knocked anyone's socks off. Even with my limited yet on-the-rise training, I can potentially look forward to exposure at Sundance myself. It just has to be exceptionally good, which is something I move toward with every project I create.

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And that was that. Once we stepped out of the Prospector Square Theatre, thus had concluded our screenings at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Our cinema-going in Park City was over, but our adventures in the Rockies had one more chapter yet to be written...

Review: Sundance Film Festival 2009 (Part IV)

SUNDANCE DAY FOUR: Friday, January 23rd, 2009

After two consecutive long nights, waking up was proving to be more difficult on Friday morning. Having given myself barely enough time to get to my first screening, I found myself without my now-routine coffee, and looking to hoard my apple for a screening or two later that day. Thus in a hangover-esque state I managed to make it to the 1200-seat Eccles Theatre, where I would be all day, for...

SCREENING #11 - In The Loop (UK)

A tangled yet hilarious take on how politicians on both sides of the pond lead us to war, In The Loop is raucous and ferociously-paced  fun. Some might insist that it's all just "British humor" but regardless of that designation I found it to be most accessible, particularly in our current political and military climate. In a film filled with miscommunication, gaffes in interviews with the press, and of course, secrets and lies, the film's ensemble cast (rounded out by James Gandolfini and Anna Chulmsky) responded in kind with the high energy required to propel this sort of comedy. Regardless of my morning state, this was able to wake me up and keep me laughing, which in and of itself is kinda of humorously scary, to see how enjoyable this haphazard road to war can be.

SCREENING #12 - Dare (USA)

Dare follows three seniors through their last months of high school, and is a film segmented into three parts. We see these students go on their own personal journeys, but each third of the film is through the eyes of our three characters. All three experience awakenings that bring them far out of their comfort zone, to fascinating degrees. Emmy Rossum headlines, with support from Ana Gasteyer and a delightful appearance by Alan Cumming. This brought me back to high school, especially since these three students are heavily involved in theatre in the film, and kept me drawn in simply because of the social environs we see woven around our three leads. In that sense it was familiar, but seeing them all evolve beyond themselves was what kept things fresh and new to me. Filled with dark humor, too, Dare was another near the top of my Festival list.

SCREENING #13 - Peter and Vandy (USA)

Apparently Peter and Vandy was adapted from a play, which I would have never fathomed having screened it. This is a good thing--the transfer must have been seamless. It features an enormously dysfunctional couple that fights and fraks, to use a Battlestar Galactica expletive, and separates, only to start the cycle all over again. The performances are masterful by Jason Ritter and Jess Weixler, and the film is superbly crafted on the whole. We can't help but feel for both parties, and have immense difficulty assigning blame when both are just so doomed yet hopelessly in love with the other. The subject material and its depiction hit perhaps too close to home for me, and thus it was difficult to watch. The audience seemingly found it endearing, especially evident during the talkback with filmmaker Jay DiPietro and the two leads. Perhaps its personal resonance with me is why it succeeds: these relationships are painful and tragic, but they are real and occur to all sorts of people far too often. Coming to that conclusion makes me want to see the play now, too.

Thus resolved three straight screenings in the wonderful Eccles Theatre. Serving as the large community performing arts center on the campus of Park City High School, the space, primarily configured as a live theatre, proved to be a delightful place to screen films. As I learned last May, when Jeannine and I were fortunate to see Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull at the Mann Village Theatre in Los Angeles, it is a very different experience watching a film with so many people. As that was the norm during the golden age of film, I want to say that perhaps it is the way it should be. With so many people focused on a film, there is something extremely visceral and electrifying to laugh and cry with so many people, and experience how so many people react both differently--and similarly--to the cinematic stimulus. I was very glad that Friday would not be my last day screening at Eccles.

With no other screenings scheduled, Tomo-san and I found ourselves declaring "Onaka suita!" and thus we headed to the Oishi Sushi Bar and Grill off of Historic Main Street. There we were joined by Ai Kariya, a Japanese glamour/entertainment photographer who was braving the festival on her own. We had the pleasure of meeting Ai at Sin Nombre the night before, and afterwards Tomo made it our mission to keep her company, being alone and so far away from home in Japan. At the sushi bar, I delighted the two of them with my chopsticks skills and my willingness to eat pretty much anything on the menu. We ordered the rainbow roll, the exclusive Sundance roll, yakisoba, shrimp tempura udon, and some edamame, and I insisted we get a whole bottle of sake, my favorite. Kanpai! We literally spent hours sitting at the sushi bar chatting and enjoying the tastes of their homeland, with Tomo translating between Ai and I as much as needed. A fitting way to end Friday night at Sundance.

Ai needed to get to a late screening, so with that we parted ways. Tomo and I retreated to the condo to chill, where we found that our house roster had been reduced to three. All parties were probably better off that way. The X-Games were on TV, but we were more occupied with Selena's return and planning our last two days in Park City. Another late night, and another day at Sundance came to an end.

Review: Sundance Film Festival 2009 (Part Tres)

SUNDANCE DAY THREE: Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

Thursday morning the folks at Sundance held a student gala breakfast, exclusive only to the student groups that attended the festival. In addition to feeding us in the swanky New Frontier on Main, they invited a handful of the festival's directors to come and talk with us and screen our own films.

With Cal State LA perhaps the largest delegation (35 in all), we "flooded the market", so-to-speak, with the amount of students that had brought works to show. And of the eight students selected to screen their pieces. five were from CSULA. As the director of Sundance made his selections, seven were called, and then the eighth... was me. I had brought Bushido Bass Clarinet for such a purpose, and excitedly followed the mass of students and filmmakers into the screening room.

Like any other films at Sundance, each of us were to introduce our work, and follow the screening with a talkback. So I had to amble up to the mic in the spotlight and address the room, and reveal to them the saga of one Chandran Joel Daniel working towards his senior recital. It was pretty sweet. And the zen-like philosophies depicted seemed to enlighten and engage the audience.

So in my first-ever trip to the Sundance Film Festival, I got to screen one of my short films in front of students, directors, and the leaders of the Festival. Epic.

SCREENING #7 - You Won't Miss Me (USA)

You Won't Miss Me depicts a young, frayed woman struggling to make ends meet as an actress in New York. As the daughter of successful, disinterested parents hinted at being in show business, the pressure is on for poor Shelly's success, but she suffers repeated setbacks and defeats, for reasons both her own and beyond her control. Another well-crafted film, it nonetheless failed to make me interested in Shelly, and thus watching her stumble from audition to audition and from man to man grew cumbersome. With her numerous personal flaws, likely in place to make some sort of point, I found her tragic yet sadly unlikeable, much like most of the other characters on screen. With so little to cling to emotionally, I could relate to very little and the tight craftmanship of the film was not enough for me. This, along with Zion and His Brother, led me to begin formulating that though virtually all of the films at Sundance were triumphs of filmmaking, not all of them were good in a storytelling sense.

This conclusion would continue to be shaped and evolve throughout the rest of my stay.

SCREENING #8 - Big Fan (USA)

A comical and tragic tale of one man's devotion to the New York Football Giants, Big Fan promises to deliver to especially those familiar with American football. To my friend Tomo, much was lost on him due to his unfamiliarity with the game and more importantly its culture. But the Bears fan in me could relate--to an extent, of course--to the fanaticism exhibited on the part of our lead. His obsession and a random encounter with one of the team's stars leads to events that will challenge his loyalty and the very relationships he has in life. A quirky yet heartening tale penned by the author of The Wrestler and The Onion Movie.

Following the screening, which was the second of our two officially sanctioned CSULA screenings, we were fortunate to spend some time post-talkback with said screenwriter/director Robert Siegel, who illuminated us with his advice and tales of his career path.

Following some exploration of Park City, some Quiznos, and some Starbucks, Tomo and I ferried back over to the Racquet Club for...

SCREENING #9 - Sin Nombre (USA/Mexico)

This compelling tale of the illegal immigrants' plight through Central America and Mexico to the United States comes from a first-time filmmaker not too much older than myself. His film highlights the struggles of a family making their way from Honduras to Texas and getting entangled in the gang violence of Mexico. The actors are all mostly first-timers as well, which makes watching this film all the more unbelievable due to just how good it really is. It's a dark and violent film, yet at its core is a triumph of the human spirit. That's almost a cliche to read, I know, but when you see these young people experience the inhumanity of the rooftop train-riding immigrant experience and the gang violence that regularly threatens it, you will understand how unique and inspiring I found this story.

Even more important was to sit through the talkback with this young man that had written and directed the film. He began as a student that submitted a short to Sundance several years ago and was accepted into the Festival. The sheer success of his short at the Festival led the Sundance Institute folks to welcome them into their development program, where he spent a few years working on this piece and ultimately making it, which of course led him to this year's festival. This was remarkable to me.

Sitting and listening to this young man brought another epiphany upon me: I had another potential path to acheive my goals and dreams. With my opportunities and resources here in LA, I can make a short, and not just any short. It has to be that good, so it can not only get into festivals, but so it can get me noticed. The whole purpose of the Sundance Institute is to locate and cultivate new filmmaking voices. The question I pose is this: if I've gotten this far already... Why can't one of those new voices be mine?

SCREENING #10 - Prom Night in Mississippi (Canada)

Somewhere in Mississippi, despite a half-century of desegregation, one high school held two senior proms: one white, one black. In the late 1990s Morgan Freeman, who had grown up in this town, offered to pay for all the expensives, providing they had one single integrated prom. His offer was refused. Last year he made the offer again, and through the lens of a Canadian filmmaker we are fortunate to witness the saga that ensued. Coming from the community of the "Skittle bag" and the "M&M bag" high schools, I was appalled that in the 21st century such conditions still existed. Yet as we watch this documentary unfold, we learn that it is not the students who have upheld this longstanding tradition of intolerance. Parents, administrators, the school board and the adult community at large were responsible for keeping prom a segregated affair, citing safety and violence as the motivating factors. As we get to know the students and faculty, we learn that most involved with the day-to-day at this high school have long desired an integrated prom.

After Freeman's offer is finally accepted, plans are set in motion to have the first integrated prom for this small rural Mississippi high school. But this ambition is not without its many hurdles, of course, and the struggle of the students and community as they move towards history is the focus of this touching and poignant documentary.

Following the fascinating talkback, Tomo and I took a late cab back to the condo, yet found ourselves trapped within the vehicle for over an hour. Our cab driver, a kindly yet far too talkative elderly woman, sought to divulge her life story to us in wee hours of the morn. She told of us her plight as the first female newspaper carrier in Las Vegas, let alone the state of Nevada, and told us of her experiences as a young girl with the Mafia in Vegas. She theorized the conspiracies involved with the assassinations of the Kennedys and MLK, and condemned and complimented President Barack Obama. She listed her random skillset, and let us know to look for a biography in the years to come. An hour and a half later, after sitting in our own parking lot staring into our own windows, she let us off, albeit with a dramatically reduced cab fare.

We limped into the apartment to find Selena waiting up for us. After telling her our harrowing tale of the cab driver, we got the details on our sick Angeleno roommate: he awoke with us and attended the student breakfast in the morning, but after mere minutes into the event, he retreated back to the condo and had been asleep since. We dared not wake him. The only other information that Selena was able to glean was that rather than seeking treatment and staying the duration, he would be back on a plane to LA the next morning. Alas! Still though, the night was more on a positive note--it was Selena's birthday, and our delegation had gotten her a cake and thrown her a little fiesta earlier that night. Thus without fault, our night ended with merriment and the usual ramblings.

Our adventures in Utah were just beginning.

Review: Sundance Film Festival 2009 (Part Dos)

SUNDANCE DAY TWO: Wednesday, January 21st, 2009

Tomo and I awoke haggardly, as we had stayed up until almost 4am with Selena, and I prepared for what would be the longest day of my festival experience. Armed with our tickets, we staggered down the hill and through the snow to the shuttle, where we would head to the Park City Racquet Club Theatre for...

SCREENING #2 - Amreeka (USA/Canada/Kuwait)

Starting the morning off right involved this thoughtful and entertaining tale of a single Palestinian mother emigrating from Palestine to a town in rural Illinois in early 2003. Taking place just as the Iraq War ignited, this film explores not only the cultural and social displacement that settling in rural Illinois might hold, but also the effects this significant event in American in history have on Palestinian-Americans and Muslim Americans in general. The lead, Muna, has plenty of misconceptions regarding American life and this leads her to conflicts both serious and comical with her son, her sister, and her search for employment. This was exactly what I needed to kick off my stay. Easily one of my favorites of the entire festival, I was more than tickled to see familiar Illinois sights and experience a familiar blending of cultures. Something rather universal for the American experience, and a film that should hopefully be seen by many to help ease the tensions in this cultural melting pot we call home.

Sadly unable to stay for the filmmakers' talkback, I parted ways with Tomo and hurried over to the Prospector Square Theatre for...

SCREENING #3 - Zion and His Brother (France/Israel)

The relationship between two boys struggling to grow up in Haifa, Israel is highlighted in this film. Though they do not often get along, they stick together, and this trait leads them to events that young Zion experiences unyielding guilt towards, distancing him from his older brother. Their single mother's boyfriend adds another rift in this unstable family. Often atmospheric and slow-paced, this film became a learning experience for me to manage all my personal needs during my film-hopping. As it dragged on, I found myself having to step out, only to miss the very ending. If the departing audience's disgruntled air was any indication, my growing disappointment with them film only culminated in what I missed. The first half of the film moved, and I felt compelled and caring for our two brothers, but as the film progressed I gradually grew disinterested and disapproving with all onscreen, and I find that perhaps I did not miss much by exiting.

SCREENING #4 - Paper Heart (USA)

Gathering with the rest of the CSULA delegation in the 1200-seat Eccles Theatre, this was the first of two films we all were fortunate enough to screen together. This film, with comedian Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera, was one of the runaway hits of this year's festival, even winning Best Screenplay honors, but it did not impress me very much. A pseudo-documentary entailing Yi's disbelief in love, she meets Michael Cera and awkwardly gives in to his amorous pursuits, for purposes of both the "documentary" and her own. I grew bored as her relationship with Cera blossomed and staggered, and the "director" of the "documentary" went to greater lengths to examine whether or not it actually it is love she's experiencing. The audience received the film extremely well, but I could only feel lukewarm. Cute, but nowhere near that cute for me.

SCREENING #5 - Barking Water (USA)

A dying Native American man is broken out of the hospital by his old flame, and the two embark on a journey through Oklahoma and the man's life in a race against time. Having an interest in road pics, the Native American plight, and having been fascinated by my few visits to Oklahoma, I found myself drawn to this film. The on-and-off-again relationship between the two leads was another familiar drawing point, and I found myself enthralled with their history, personalities, and philosophy. We visit many people from the lives of our leads, and see shades of American society and race relations to fascinating degrees. Yet another film shot with beautiful vistas and scenery, and a compelling character tale to boot.

After essentially four straight screenings in only my first full day in Park City, I retreated to historic Main Street in search of tasty vittles. The mountain town's downtown corridor was filled with the early evening Sundance crowds, and I wandered into the Bandits' Grill and Bar. I could not resist the Western BBQ flavorings within and partaked in some barbecue beef brisket known as the Judge Roy Bean. Coupled with an irresistable helping of yams, I was in heaven.

My stomach full and satisfied with a classic Wild West meal, I headed back to the Park City Library for my final screening of the night...

SCREENING #6 - Everything Strange and New (USA)

Another atmospheric, heady story, this involved following the life of a disgruntled construction worker living in Oakland. His life settled, he spends time with his coworkers drinking and avoids going home to his wife and young sons. This film is one of those pieces where nothing happens, and as an audience member one almost grows complacent with that. Yet when you least expect it, things begin to develop in all of this strange man's interactions, and you see the beginnings of a journey for him. The changes that are undergone are subtle yet fascinating, despite the snail's pace this film takes. It was not a bad film, but a poor choice to screen going into the midnight hour after the long day I had. I managed to stay awake, but more often than not I felt far too akin to this middle-aged blue-collar worker trodding through life. It moves slow, and feels slow, and for this the film suffers. An otherwise unique tale, and worth a single watch.

With my last screening getting out well after midnight, I found myself near downtown Park City after the last bus to my resort had run. The Canyons were a few miles away, not on any walking paths, and certainly not reachable on foot in the chill winter night of the Rockies. I hastily hailed one of the cabs lingering about near the library and headed back to the condo, where I found my comrades Tomo and Selena fussing over our winter-weary Angeleno roommate. He had joined the rest of the CSULA delegation for Paper Heart, but promptly returned to the room to sleep undisturbed until we all returned hours later. With him stubbornly resisting our various offers of aid, we put him back to bed and again kept each other awake until all hours of the night.

Review: Sundance Film Festival 2009

A few weeks ago I was most fortunate enough to fly out to Park City, Utah for the acclaimed Sundance Film Festival. As CSULA is among the accredited and thus invited film schools, we were poised to send a full delegation, and I was among the three MFA students that were able to go.

What follows is my day-by-day account of my journey and especially the films I screened.

SUNDANCE DAY ONE: Tuesday, January 20, 2009

I awoke especially early to catch the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. Since it was happening in the Eastern Time Zone, us folks out here in the PST had to get up around 7ish to see the starting of all the festivities. I was able to catch all the good parts, especially the Oath of Office. Alas, I missed the parade, which included the Colts and the Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps, and the Morton and Sandburg bands from IL. I was so hyped to see my activity and my state so well-represented. But my flight was around noon, and my buddy Lem was right on-time to take me to Long Beach for my flight.

The flight to Salt Lake City was cramped, with my Japanese MFA friend Tomo and I squeezing aboard a small Canadian jet filled with plenty of folks headed to Sundance. The day was especially clear from SoCal all the way to SLC, and I got an excellent view of Las Vegas as we flew over Nevada.

Upon immediately disembarking from the plane, I was delighted to feel that familiar chill of winter and, seeing my breath before me, pulled on my heavy coat. The walkway from plane to airport was long and nigh-insulated, and it made me especially happy to have that first taste of winter again as soon as I landed.

We waited shortly for our shuttle, and along with a handful of other CSULA film students, we were soon on our way through the haze of SLC metro and into the mountains. The drive to Park City took approximately an hour with the rush-hour traffic, but our shuttle driver was kind enough to ferry us to both the resort office and then to our little condo at the Canyons Mountain Resort. The air was clear, crisp and dry, and the snow a fine powder that was unlike any variation of snow I had seen at home. My love affair with the Rockies rekindled, I was awestruck at the vistas and the panoramic landscape before me.

Tomo and I hastily staged our portion of the apartment, taking up the large living room area with the hide-a-bed and room for my air mattress near the TV. I had planned from the get-go to "drum corps" this excursion, as chivalry dictated we allow Selena, our MA student roommate, the bedroom. For better or for worse, we would leave our other comrade, a late addition to our party, to his own devices.

As soon as we had set up camp, we were quickly down the hill and on the free public transit to Main Street in Park City to pick up our tickets. Time-permitting, we hoped to grab some food before meeting up with the full CSULA delegation. A tour and introduction to Park City and the Festival was planned, but unfortunately this was not to line up, as transportation situations delayed the full group's rendezvous significantly.

Instead we dined at La Casita, a fine Mexican restaurant where we learned firsthand the price of food and generally most other services up in a mountain resort town. The food was ridiculously tasty, though, and full and content, we forged our first walking path to the Library for our first screening.

SCREENING #1 - The Clone Returns Home (Japan)

This film, the only Japanese entry, was billed as in the vein of the orignal Solaris: one of those cerebral, philosophical science fiction works. Tomo all but insisted we go to it, being a Japanese national, and I was happy to oblige. All too soon, though, I found myself fighting to stay awake--my early rise for the inauguration was getting to me, and sadly the film itself was not helping. Its first hour perhaps kept me awake and intrigued, but beyond a certain point it was hopeless to keep me engaged for long. In the film, our protagonist astronaut enrolls in a cloning experiment before going on a mission. In the likely event of fatality on this mission, he would be brought back as a clone, complete with his memories and personality. This occurs, and he awakens in his new clone body to much confusion. Things get complicated as his repressed memories of his dead twin brother resurface, leading him to search for his childhood home and the discovery of his crashed original body.

The film was full of gorgeous landscapes and genius composition, and the concept alone is intriguing, particularly when you see the astronaut's wife initially dealing with both his death and his cloning. But the pacing seemed to drag more and more as it progressed, and my travel-weary state could not bear it well.

The other experience we had with this film was what we learned to be standard Sundance fare: the film was introduced by its filmmaker, and followed by a talkback session with him as well. Every single film I saw followed this format, including the student sceening session that I was to be a part of days later. Tomo and I waited around afterwards so he could get a few brief words in with the filmmaker in their native tongue.

Truthfully declaring "tsukareta", the first of the Japanese phrases I would learn from Tomo, we headed back to the condo on the last bus of the night. We would learn that our fourth roommate, a native Angeleno, had not packed sufficiently for the winter weather and was nursing an indeterminate and increasingly worse illness. In contrast, Tomo, Selena, and I, from Japan, Serbia, and Chicagoland, respectively, all were well-prepared and even delighted to see the winter again. We gave offers of various aid, to no avail. He quickly was lost to a fitful sleep, yet the three of us began what was to be a nightly ritual bonding of laughter and recap.

Our stay in Utah had just begun, and Sundance was ours for the taking.