Jenn and I saw a shorts program and a feature film today and all total heard about 20 lines of dialog. Ok, that's a slight exaggeration, but we have heard several filmmakers say that "they wanted the relationship to be communicated through body language" or "they wanted the story told through the character's eyes." A little of that is fine but a whole movie of brooding looks is tedious and slow.
Such was the case with, "For Ellen" featuring Paul Dano and basically, only Paul Dano, as Joby Taylor an almost-rock-star sorting out his feelings about being a deadbeat dad as his divorce is finalized. The movie plays out mostly in his head. In the Q and A the film maker says she was going through a bit of a midlife crisis when she wrote it. I say, have your crisis... in private ... don't bring us all down with you.
I don't even know what to say about Shorts Program III. We have seen some great short films over the years, but the six films in this program were a bust. One of the films had no dialog at all and it was actually one of the better ones. Four of the six played like a small segment of a larger story. They had no resolution and left the audience to finish the story. The one we liked best (and that's not saying much) was a comedy by a Polish director called "Frozen Stories." It focused on two incredibly lonely people who are pushed into entering a reality show/contest called "The Unhappiest Person in the World." Yep, I said comedy.
One more movie tomorrow and we are hoping to end on a positive note. We'll see ...
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