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The 29th edition of
Seattle International Film Festival has come and gone. As much as I enjoyed 45 films I saw over 25 days, I have to admit that I'm ready for some big Hollywood explosions and mindless summer fun. Before I traipse off to see Charlie's Angels VIII, I want to share my thoughts with you on this year's festival. More importantly, I want to raise question: Is Seattle International Film Festival a destination event that you should include in your travel plans for future? (photo above: "In July")
If you're going to travel for films, most important question about a festival is do they get films that you want to see, or are these films that you won't be able to see anywhere else? (Another question might be: Is festival in a city you want to visit?) I can't really answer film question for anybody but me, so first part of this article is about films I saw. Logistics about festival and tips on where to eat, things to see between films, and answer to "destination festival" question follow film reviews.
Films to watch out for (both good and bad)
As at any festival, more films you see, better your chances of seeing repeated images, scenes, or themes. I like to call it "trendspotting." Trendspotting is even more fun when a festival's theme is No Déjà Vu. Here are some of emerging trends from SIFF 29.
The repeated sex scene: in L'Auberge Espagnole (France) and Angela (Italy), in both films, a man barks like a dog and woman giggles while they make love. In perhaps a correlation, neither film was that good.
The non-Hollywood musical: The Other Side of Bed (Spain), Camp (U.S.), Devdas (India), Bollywood/Hollywood (Canada), Vagabond (Hungary), and Yes Nurse, No Nurse (Belgium) easily filled this slot. While a sing-a-long version of Chicago worked for those yearning for Hollywood star power.
The Other Side of Bed is a witty Spanish sex farce with singing. The songs aren't particularly memorable, but production numbers that go with songs are knowingly funny and story is fun.
Camp was a perfect concoction of show tunes and silly humor set in a summer camp for teens who want to be Broadway performers. The show tunes are blended seamlessly into a plot that makes each song seem like it was written for this film. It only adds to your enjoyment if you know stories of shows that songs come from. Devdas was a rather disappointing Bollywood musical where characters were put in montages while other singers sang for them (kind of like a Milli Vanilli video except nobody moved their lips). A more enchanting twist on Bollywood and Hollywood conventions could be found in Bollywood/Hollywood. Though singers once again didn't so much sing as dance along to someone else singing. Vagabond is an entirely different type of musical where a young Gypsy discovers redemptive powers of community through folk dancing. The music on screen is all from live performances on street corners or at cultural hall where he learns dancing.
