One of my chief laments regarding the Wisconsin Film Festival was the scarce supply of prominent, buzz-worthy independent films. Luckily this Wednesday marks the kickoff of WUD Film's third annual Mini Indie Film Festival. The festival brings to campus some of the most interesting indie flicks from both the past and previous years, all at the the brand-spanking new Marquee at Union South. WUD may not be hosting the glamorous premiers of these movies, but that's OK, as word-of-mouth and past performance is what earned each of them their place on the lineup. All of the films are completely free and a full schedule of films can be found at union.wisc.edu/WUD/film.aspx
The following are a few films playing at the festival this weekend I would particularly recommend checking out:
""Blue Valentine"" (Friday at 7p.m.)
A portrait of a disintegrating marriage pieced together in non-chronological order, this is without a doubt one of my favorite movies of 2010—top five easily. I would have given a Best Picture Oscar nomination to ""Blue Valentine"" over ""The Kids Are All Right,"" or ""The King's Speech"" for that matter, in a heartbeat. A case could certainly be made that Ryan Gosling deserved an acting nomination right alongside the one that was thankfully given to Michelle Williams. The pair give a powerful joint performance the likes of which I have rarely seen between two actors. At the director's request, Gosling and Williams lived together in preparation for, and during the production of the film, the benefits of which shine in the hyper-realistic relationship dynamic that exudes from them on screen. I struggle to think of a more convincing portrayal of a real-life adult relationship to grace the silver screen in recent memory. ""Blue Valentine"" is not a happy movie. It would make for a horribly depressing first date. But it is beautiful, visceral, raw and real. It's a movie that is guaranteed to leave an impression on you.
""Four Lions"" (Saturday at 1 p.m.)
In the year since it first premiered, ""Four Lions"" has amassed both dedicated supporters and rave reviews. Edgar Wright, writer/director of ""Hot Fuzz"" and the vastly underappreciated ""Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,"" named ""Four Lions"" number one on his list of the most underrated movies of 2010. The film is a mockumentary portraying the endeavors of a group of bumbling, hapless, radicalized Muslims in Britain who dream of becoming famous Jihadi Islamist terrorists. While the touchy topic may give some pause, reviews thus far have promised that the movie is an incredibly smart black comedy. I know I'll be checking it out this weekend.
""Somewhere"" (Wednesday at 7 p.m.)
Directed by Sofia Coppola, ""Somewhere"" stars Stephen Dorff as Johnny Marco, a wealthy movie star living out of hotels and trapped in an existential crisis, and Elle Fanning as Johnny's daughter that comes to stay with him after her mother leaves town. This film sparked a moderate amount of controversy upon its premier at the Venice Film Festival last year. ""Somewhere"" was awarded the prestigious Golden Lion Award, given to the best film at the festival by the year's jury, which was led by Sofia Coppola's long-time friend and former significant other Quentin Tarantino. Many critics called foul and accused Tarantino of bias in his selection—but many other critics stood behind him. ""Somewhere"" is simply a controversial film.
On the one hand, it's a beautiful piece of art to watch. Coppola delivers her trademark aesthetic as seen in films like ""Lost In Translation"" and crafts a visual experience that seeks to convey the feeling of being alone in a crowded room, and does it with deft precision. But the plot is rather lacking—there's a reason that the script is purported to have been only 48 pages long. ""Somewhere"" is far more of an art film than most independent cinema has been as of late, and in that regard it will probably turn off some viewers. I certainly believe that a more fleshed-out script would have improved the film and made it vastly more accessible. Regardless, ""Somewhere"" is certainly a movie you will have a conversation about after the credits roll—so come see it and join the discussion.
Intrigued? E-mail dcottrell@wisc.edu for more info on the festival and its various screenings.
