My day was filled with stories yesterday. I cried, I laughed, I got angry, I went on a flashback LSD trip and I was inspired and was reminded exactly why I also tell the stories that torment my own soul. For a brief moment yesterday, I will admit, I missed DearSweetDave. I know that may come as a very real surprise to a lot of you, it even surprised me. But sitting there in the dark, alone, watching all those films I ached to lean over to him, more than once, and whisper this or that or another thing about a particular moment in a film.
Those confluences when the writing and the pictures and the sound and the gasps of an audience all manage to come together in rare synchronicity are what fueled our bond in many ways. I miss sharing this festival with him.
However, I share this festival with all of you. And with everyone else who is brave enough to weather the blizzard that is currently dumping massive amounts of snow on Park City. I waded through, I am not exaggerating, six feet of snow yesterday to get to my first screening of the morning. That screening was the Shorts Program I. Which included Spike Jonze offering, I am Here. That little film is perfect. It made me cry. My own log line for it might be, "When you're here, with love, you give everything." I will not ever forget that film.
Rory Kennedy's film, The Fence, was next and of course I got all sorts of angry and disgusted at the Bush Administration all over again. But realized that it isn't just the Bush Administration I need to be angry with, but truly myself. I allow things like The Fence to happen. I am a tax-paying citizen of the United States. The money that is being poured into that ridiculous exercise could be used to provide necessary medical care for the uninsured children of this country. That's all I'll share right now. It just propelled me to think. Which is what every good documentary should do.
An animation offering was next, Logorama. Which freaked me right out. I am not fond of clowns, not fond of McDonald's and now? I really do not like Ronald.
The final film was a short from Sweden. Seeds of the Fall was sweet and touching and heartbreaking. A great bookend, actually, to Spike Jonze' film. Life is always a little off-kilter. For all of us. We don't often realize just how much we love someone until we're truly asked.
We all know I'll talk to anyone, so of course, I spent the time between films talking to everyone. I met some lovely people as I made my way from the Shorts to my next film at the Egyptian. They come every year from Oklahoma for the festival. I am happy to have met them, as they're just as passionate about film as I seem to be.
The next film for me was Vegetarian. It is a first film from Korean writer/director Lim Woo-seong. This is not a film for the faint of heart. It is provocative and disturbing and made me really think deeply about my own reasons for being a vegetarian. Why I choose not to eat meat. However, I'm doing a disservice to this film by even really talking about vegetarian aspects as while that is a theme that is not the driving force of this film.
It is a real psychological drama. I honestly believe that whomever you are, your own story will quickly get caught up in the story that unfolds before you on the screen. The score is haunting and beautiful and I would purchase it if available. I stayed for the Q&A for this film and the director is truly ballsy. I am still rather upset from seeing this film and actually I believe that is a good thing.
From there, I wandered across the street to the New Frontier to check out the art installations. Of course, I was immediately drawn to LIFECYCLES which is Matthew Moore's installation. He's a fourth generation farmer and has collected and shows the images of the lifecycle of our food from earth to marketplace. My biggest disappointment, though, was that the free produce that is supplied as part of the installation is from Fresh Market (formerly Albertson's). I know, I know. A large part of our world gets their produce from supermarkets. However, I would have loved to have helped Matthew, who is a farmer (??) support and showcase our very local and very fabulous farmers who grow great produce right here in Utah all year long. We know this is a huge platform for me, this whole food business, so while I'm happy he's giving away seeds and getting people thinking about food, we all know for me, personally, I'm just going to have issue with the food actually not being local.
The other installation that I spent the most time truly investigating is called BORDERTOWN. Tracey Snelling incorporates film, photography, collage, architecture and sound to take us to the Mexico/American border. After seeing The Fence that morning, of course this amazing art installation gave me even that much more to consider. I really loved it and appreciated the absolutely truly visceral experience. I was even more pleased to actually meet Tracey while I was standing in line for my next film. That is the serendipity of Sundance.
Next up? Pepperminta. I am not sure what to even say about this film. It is a feast on all levels and for me was like taking an LSD flashback without having to take any drugs. Is that good? I'm not certain if I can answer that for you, yet. I think I'm still working it all out. There's very little plot. It actually feels like one very long, strange trip. Truly!
So, I walked out of that film, dazed and a bit frazzled and into a full-on blizzard. Of Utah proportions. My task, should I accept it, was to get myself from Park City to the Sundance Resort for my next screening at 6:15. I was standing on Main Street at 4:15 p.m. My car was parked at Sundance Headquarters. I know most of you have no clue about what all of this means, but those of you in the know are right now shouting, "ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?!"
Yes, as it turns out, I am. I am the woman willing to truly risk her life for a film. When I die, we can put that on my tombstone. "She risked her life for a good story."
I sloshed through the falling snow to the bus terminal, waited with everyone else, hopped on a bus headed for headquarters, chatted with a really and truly lovely critic from Bloomberg News about the films he had seen and I had seen and then found my way to my very snow covered car.
It was now 4:45 p.m. Blizzard conditions. On a non-blizzard day it would take 60 minutes to get to Sundance. I am a girl that lives her life dangerously, obviously. The film waiting for me on the other end was HOWL.
I'll share now that as a rabid English and Writing and Theatre major at Trinity 25 years ago, I took an entire semester course that was devoted to HOWL. Just that. Nothing else. I've dissected that poem. Backwards, forwards, thoroughly. I've written lots of words about it. I really wanted to see this film.
So off I went. SLOWLY. Because everyone else was driving very SLOWLY, too. As you're wont to do when you can not see five feet in front of you. I was literally going less than 10 MPH for most of the way to Heber City. There were so many accidents. Cars littered the sides of the highway. The cars in front of me were sliding and slipping and just careening off the road. All this at 10 MPH. I was so grateful for Wanda the Honda. Honestly, I'm blessed with my little dog transport vehicle. It serves me very well in Utah.
Once I was through Heber City, I turned onto the road that winds you through Provo Canyon. A road that had not been touched by snow plows at all yesterday. I had trouble even finding the road. I followed behind the car in front of me, slowly, again. At this point it is now 6:00 p.m. and I know I'm pretty much fucked in terms of seeing the film, but I'm determined to get to Sundance so I can go to their box office, at least. There's no sense in turning around now?!
I continued. The car in front of me got a bit too cocky and as the road curved one direction, he curved another direction and off he went over the side. I pulled over, deduced I couldn't actually help him, called 911 and reported his accident, removed all the accumulated snow from my windshield and then kept going. Slowly.
At 6:30 I made it to the entrance to the resort. There was a policeman there who informed me that the only way I was going up that hill was if I had 4WD or snow chains. I actually DO have 4WD. So hooray, again, for Wanda the Honda, the dog transport vehicle.
However, even with 4WD, the drive up the winding, hairpin turns to the resort? Not so fun. But I had made it this far, I was determined to get up to the screening room. I thought I might get them to allow me to sneak in the back and at least watch the film since I had risked life and limb.
So, I get up there. I park. I make my way to the Sundance Screening Room. I am 1000% discombobulated and harried and just.plain.stressed.
The film has not yet started screening. Which, honestly, shocked me, but they said they were waiting because of the weather.
This is the part of the story where we will all just nod our heads and go, "Of course." It is the part of the story where I share that like a complete and utter idiot, I left my ticket for this film, this film that I risked life and and limb to attend, on my bed side table early that morning when I left my house. This is the part of the story where I am standing at the Sundance Screening Room pulling all manner of 2010 Sundance tickets out of my bag, tickets for screenings at theatres in all kinds of places and locations and days of the week. Tickets for EVERYTHING except HOWL. This is the part of the story where my special luck comes into play because at that moment the woman who manages the Sundance Screening Room just looked at me and said, "Jennifer, we're so glad you're here. Just come right in." This is the part of the story where I remember that the Universe is always kind and where I thank Sundance for being so lovely and generous and for making me smile all kinds of smiles.
I went in to the screening room and found a seat right near the front. I chatted with my seat neighbors who are from Palm Beach, Florida and had no idea that there are even films being screened anywhere other than the Sundance Screening room. They were lovely people, by the way.
I also learned that the director and cast would not be in attendance as they had attempted the drive from Park City but had had to turn around because the roads were impassable. I should have put them all in Wanda the Honda. I made it, they didn't. Not at all surprising given the apocalyptic storm I had just endured.
The film? I'm sure you might be curious? It's perfect. For me. Is it perfect for you? Maybe. James Franco embodies the young Allen Ginsberg, the Ginsberg who is still figuring out just whom he is, the one who has just written HOWL and isn't quite sure where he even fits in this world, with perfect nuance.
Using the actual poem as parts of the script was just, well, fabulous for me. This film is the poem brought to life in so many ways. It isn't a biopic as much as it is a love song to the Beat poets, to HOWL, to our freedom of speech and to all of us who ache to tell a story from the depths of our souls.
My soul is better for all those stories.
