We are heading into the last week of the Film Festival and it is with a sense of sadness and relief. Every time my cats see my bright yellow film festival bag, they know I will be heading out 8 hours or more to see the world through film. There is also a sense of wanting to go back to my normal life. Even mowing the lawn sounds enjoyable.
Yesterday did not bring out any real winners but they are playing Saturday and Sunday.
Restoration This Israeli film won an award for screenwriting at Sun Dance, but I am not getting it. The premise of two brothers owning a furniture refinishing shop and the turmoil that results when the older one dies is a sound proposition. You find out that the shop has been losing money for years and that the remaining brother can’t get a loan. The living brother’s son inherits the shop but doesn’t have best intents on keeping she shop open or offering any support. There are other sub-plots, but nothing really gels.
Competence: 3 * out of 4 Compelling: 2 * out of 4. Sunday 3:50PM
Salt of Life. Several years back, the Festival presented “Mid August Lunch”, a simple Italian story about a son who provides lunch for his mother and all her friends. It was touching and funny since they all started to argue and began eating in their separate rooms. Salt is Gianni Di Gregorio’s follow up and it follows a similar path but is missing some of the humor from the first film. I would recommend it just for the attention he pays to detail and how he draws the characters, but the story is lacking.
Competence 3 1/2* Compelling 2 1/2* Saturday 5:45.
If you are coming to the Festival this weekend, allow plenty of time if you plan to drive. Consider some of these returning films – all on Sunday:
- Sense of Humor – 9am. Hilarious look at comedy.
- Art of Love – 12pm: Its French. Need I say more?
- Shuffle – 5pm. My favorite of the festival so far.
Look for my Film Festival Wrap up tomorrow night.
Hey Jim, So glad to hear the Under African Skies is coming to my neighborhood theater–missed it at the festival.