sxsw film pass day five

Feeling a bit of Film Festival Fatigue (or F3) this morning. I saw three films yesterday, even though I'd seen three the day before, and even though I only had two on my list, and even though I cut out one on my list for another, just because the time was more convenient. But I'm glad I saw everything I saw yesterday.

Yesterday's theme seemed to be (loosely), bisexuality. One of the films was about bisexuality, another was about a hippie man (and everybody knows the hippies were all bisexual in the Sixties!), and the third wasn't really about that, but the subject of the film made a joke to his interviewer, Robin Williams, saying, "I want to have your children," to which RW said, "I have three, I'll send one over!"

A lot of what this festival has been for me, particularly because I'm alone at it, is meeting people, in line, in the theater, on the street. Everybody wants to know what you've seen that's been good; many of them are networking for their own films. And they're from all over the place geographically, so they're very interesting (and it's also not possible for me to obsess about them knowing that they don't live in my own town so there's not much hope I'll see them again and have a long-term relationship with them...).

Film #8, In A Dream.

The chaotic story of Julia Zagar and her husband Isaiah Zagar, a renowned mosaic artist, who for the past 30 years has covered more than 40,000 square feet of Philadelphia top to bottom with tile, mirror, paint, and concrete.

I almost wasn't interested in this film, that description doesn't do it justice, but I'd remembered seeing the mosaics around Philly and thought the story about the artist responsible for them might be interesting. It was much more than that.

It was filmed by the younger of the couple's two sons, and during the making of the doc, the family has some big issues going down; Jeremiah Zagar (the filmmaker) was unflinching in his portrayal. In the Q&A after the film someone commented on how brave it was that he kept filming while all of this was going on, and he responded that every time he took the camera away from his face he started crying, so it was a much safer place to be.

Isaiah was there, too (Julia was unfortunately unable to be there because she's currently out of the country), and I had to go shake his hand (I should've hugged him, but oh, well, my loss). He was sweet and a little touched and a brilliant artist -- which is obvious from his work all over the city and all over the movie. His home, from basement to roof, floors, walls, ceilings, are all covered in mosaics, and it goes out from there, into the streets, the buildings around his home. He and his wife have been buying old buildings, fixing them up, mosaicking them, and renting them out for years.

There was also a brief part of the interview in which Isaiah talks candidly about being molested as a little boy. His portrayal of the experience was without malice, almost sweet even-- not to say being molested was for him in any way "sweet," but he didn't seem to have any blame or anger toward the man who diddled him. I think that was what touched me most about the film: his spirit.

There was a young man from NYC in the audience next to me; he's a filmmaker whose first feature documentary is in the festival; it's called Flying On One Engine, about a plastic surgeon who is wheelchair-bound and has no larynx; he travels to India every year to perform free surgeries on children with deformities. He is a god there. It looks interesting -- and I had heard about it from somebody in line the day before -- but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to make it to see that one.

Film #9, Bi The Way.

Journeying through the changing sexual landscape of America, BI THE WAY investigates the latest scientific reports and social opinions on bisexuality, while following five members of the emerging "whatever generation" -- teens and twenty-somethings who seem to be ushering in a whole new sexual revolution.

This was an interesting subject matter for me. It was a well-made film; there were some really cute people in it. The people who made it were also pretty cute. I don't have a lot to say about it. It wasn't the best thing I've seen, but I would recommend it.

The thing that bugged me about this movie experience was that it was at the Dobie. This was the first movie I've seen this year at the Dobie. The Dobie is in the back corner of a university residence hall food court. The lines for the movies (badges, pass holders, ticket buyers) is very disorganized, and that's a little frustrating. I hated having to tell a couple that there were a dozen or so people in front of them in the line they just suddenly appeared in -- The guy said, "Where did all those people come from?" And I said, "I don't know where they came from, but I've been here for an hour and the line goes that way." I didn't want to have to do that, but I wanted to see the movie, didn't want to have stood in line for an hour to miss it because I didn't stand up for myself or some shit like that. Ugh! Oh, well, it all worked out; I think that couple got in, and I got a good seat.

There was a weird singer/songwriter performing when we went into the theater. He just moved here from LA recently, he said, and his songs were words to already-written tunes, mostly. He confessed that he'd been drinking early on, and he had that kind of drunken, funny, a little annoying attitude. He was there, I guess, because he sings songs about homos and bisexuals (though he said a few times that he is neither). One of his songs was about Brokeback Mountain, another was a reworking of "The Pina Colada Song" with the words "If you like penis massages..." in place of the first line, and it went downhill from there. (It was about waking up with a boner, his roommate was gone, so he got on the internet, onto Craig's list and found somebody into penis massages...and of course, it ends up being his roommate.) Me thinks the drunk doth protest a little too much!

Film #10, Dreams With Sharp Teeth.

25 years in the making, 'DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH' is a documentary that brings literary hero Harlan Ellison, his magnetic personality and amazing work to life, with appearances from Robin Williams and author Neil Gaiman. Directed by the producer of 'Grizzly Man', Erik Nelson, it features an original score composed and performed by Richard Thompson.

This was the added film for the day. I think the guy I met at In A Dream recommended it. It had been on my big list of movies I wanted to see, but not on the short one. But I'm glad I saw it. He's a caustic asshole, this Harlan Ellison, but also a very inspiring writer/speaker. He is a proud atheist who says that believing in God is a cop-out to living up to your own true potential. Great documentary.

When I walked into the theater -- the big ol' Paramount -- I went for my usual seat, stage left section, a little more than halfway down, close to the aisle. I saw a handsome young man across the aisle with big boots at the end of his long splayed out legs. Of course I sat across from him, just because.

I pulled out my little carry-around notebook to write some notes about the festival. In fact, I wrote a note about him:

of course I position myself
across the aisle from the hot
guy with the big boots and
the Elvis Costello glasses,
just in case. he makes
contact. brief. nice.

But it was more than "brief." I don't know how he noticed my colorful notebook -- I slipped it out of my pocket and back in, had it open most of the time -- but he did, said, "I like the cover of your notebook. Are you a painter?"

The woman next to him got involved in the conversation; the two of them are working on a film (not in the festival, not made yet). He had a wedding ring on, but I didn't see if she had one on, so I don't know if they're a romantic couple or just a working couple.

I told him that I'm not a painter or anything in particular, that I'm just an all-around artist. The woman raised her hand and said, "Welcome to the club."

We talked across the aisle until the movie started. He found out that I'm writing a novel and gave me a cryptic (but glossy) business card and said, "I own a small publishing company, too, so let me give you my card." One side of the card says:

Glos olalia.org

the other side says:

"A huge portion of the
new money in this
market is being spent on
contemporary art."

I looked it up when I got home (the website, not the quote, because what the hell does that mean?!)

It turns out this guy is part of a creative collective; he's a collage artist, a photographer, and he's aligned himself with poets and writers and other all-around artists. The website is worth a look. Harlan Ellison dropped so many names in the movie that I completely forgot the young man's name, so I found myself poring over the possibilities on the website trying to locate him late into the night last night. I'm pretty sure this is him -- though his hair is shorter now and he has glasses... It's kind of like he was dropped out of the heavens for me (not just because he's good looking; I mean, he's married -- ahem!) but I've been getting more creative recently, and have been wondering how to get myself out there. Maybe this guy will be a way. Maybe not. At the very least, it's inspiring.