The annual Seattle International Film Festival is upon us once again. SIFF, which kicked off May 19, is now in full swing, bringing with it bouts of torrential downpours as well as sickeningly hot and sweaty days - neither of which are very enticing standing-in-line-for-a-film weather.
This year's festival, the 31st, promises to be the best ever, but isn't that what they always claim? I can't really comment comparatively, this being the first year I've been involved with SIFF, but I've definitely highlighted my share of movies in the Seattle Times festival guide (oops, did I say movies? Surely I meant films).
The first thing I learned working for SIFF was that anyone who knows anything about cinema uses the word film. The word "movie" is for people like me, who go to multiplexes and see "The Longest Yard" and "Are We There Yet?" Not that these movies are of a lesser quality, but they don't seem to evoke the same emotional response that depressing, subtitled independent films induce (don't get me wrong, not all SIFF films are depressing).
The inclement weather hasn't kept everyone away, though. The loyal SIFF fans, who call themselves "The Fools," view more than 100 films every festival, and refuse to miss a film just because of a little rain or too much sunshine. These SIFF superfans take a month off work to attend the festival; they even have their own judging and voting system online.
This is only a small part of the madness that is SIFF. With more than 300 feature length and short films from more than 50 countries shown in seven Seattle venues over three weeks, you're bound to encounter all types. Of madness, that is.
So where do I fit into this mess? I'm an intern, and in SIFF language that means two things: you do anything that anyone above you tells you to do, and you take advantage of free food and drinks at staff parties. I also sneak in a film here and there, and take great pleasure in eating all the chipotle burritos I can get my hands on (volunteers get free burritos during the festival. Yeah, now you'll think twice about volunteering next year, won't you).
Now onto the meat and potatoes of the festival, the moment you've all been anticipating: SIFF film reviews by a movie watcher. I'll sum up my SIFF film viewing experience thus far into two categories: the good, and the not-so-good.
I'll begin with the good. The surprisingly entertaining film Murderball is a documentary from the United States about quadriplegic rugby. I know what you're thinking: what in the world is quadriplegic rugby, and how could someone make an entertaining documentary about it?
First of all, quadriplegic rugby is a full contact sport played in modified wheelchairs by ridiculously intense quadriplegic superjocks. The documentary follows both the Canadian and American quadriplegic teams on their journey to the Paralympics; viewers are taken through an experience that is very similar to that of any other highly competitive group of athletes.
The film is an honest narrative of the obstacles that these athletes overcome on a daily basis. Murderball also addresses all those questions you have but would never ask. Such as, yes, quadriplegics do have sex. This film will make you realize just how normal and real these guys are.
Other films worth seeing include Somersault, an Australian coming-of-age film about a 14-year-old girl struggling to find comfort within herself. The opening night film, You and Me and Everyone We Know, is a touching story concerning the lives of two people trying to find and keep love in the modern world. Quirky and delicate at the same time, You and Me and Everyone We Know takes ordinary characters and transforms them into extraordinary beings by creating a simple yet complicated look at life and love.
Moving along to the not-so-good films: 4, a Russian full-length feature, tops the do-not-go-see list. If you can manage to make it past the opening scene, which will no doubt make you jump out of your skin, you will then be subjected to tasteless nudity and a boring bar scene that lasts for at least half an hour. If I wanted to watch a bizarre conversation between three odd people, I could just sit in a bar on University Avenue.
The film then follows a female character as she stomps through the woods on her way to a strange colony of clones (no doubt the product of some sick Russian governmental project). There's more disgusting nudity among some serious alcoholics before the film concludes with no clear plot resolution.
Also making my not-so-good film list is Strings, a European film starring a cast of puppets. Although the production design was meticulous and the visuals somewhat interesting, the film was too abstract, with distracting black puppet strings everywhere and mouths that don't move when the puppets speak. The film wins points for originality, but if you are someone who gets freaked out by Disney's Pinocchio, you may want to avoid Strings.
Throughout my experience with SIFF thus far, I've realized, first, that despite the chaos that encompasses the festival atmosphere, the theater lobbies always have an unlimited supply of overpriced popcorn and disgruntled employees; secondly, there's always a line for the ladies room; and, lastly but most importantly, there is always a film showing somewhere (although that doesn't necessarily mean it started on time).
Megan Flynn is a freelancer living in Seattle.[[In-content Ad]]
