On Wednesday, we saw three films that really represent the Sundance experience. One quietly elegant film set in Kashmir, one a moving exploration of grief and fatherhood, and the last one a comedy featuring an over-zealous boss.
Valley of the Saints
This film is simply gorgeous and made even more beautiful by it's story. Set in Kasmir around Dal Lake, it is a story of struggle and friendship and poverty and hope. While ever-present in the background, the country's political unrest is not the primary focus of the story. Instead, the story centers on the Lake and the people who live there. Using mostly untrained locals as actors (the lead actor still makes his living taking tourists for boat rides on the lake) gives the film its heart. The film makers took many risks in making this film and I'm grateful they did. For an intimate look at an often overlooked part of the world, this film is so worth seeing.
The End of Love
Directed by and starring Mark Webber, The End of Love tells the story of a recently widowed father trying to find his way alone with his son. We were amazed to learn that every scene involving the 2 1/2 year old boy in the movie was unscripted and shot in one take. Webber was able to accomplish this by casting his own, incredibly cute, son in the role. Not a terribly uplifting story, it was compelling without being overly sad and uses an extreme situation to explore some of the sacrifices that come with being a dad.
Price Check
Because Sundance features so many realistic films dealing with painful subject matter, a comedy is always a welcome break. Price Check features Parker Posey as a somewhat crazed boss and Eric Mabius as one of her star employees. The premise is not new -- compromising one's dreams to earn a living and support a family -- but P.P.'s over-the-top performance and the scene where one particular employee gets a new nickname is worth the price of admission.
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