Annette Kellerman sounds like she’s drunk on movies right now.
That’s right! I said it! Whatcha gonna do about it, Annette? You’re enjoying a film festival and I’m up to my shoulders in poopy diapers! And you saw THE WACKNESS! So... nyah!
It's me, Annette Kellerman, back with yet another glimpse at a few more of the films I've had the pleasure of viewing at this year's SXSW Film Festival.
Since reading raves reviews after its screening at Sundance, I was greatly anticipating my chance to check out The Wackness at SXSW. Fortunately, the film lived up to the hype.
The film is a basic coming of age dramedy revolving around the post-high school graduation summer of our main character Luke Shapiro. Like many teens, Luke is stuck in limbo for the summer, wedged between his waning youth and figuring out the rest of his life. Unlike most teens, though Luke has an unlikely mentor in his aging shrink who vicariously encourages Luke to live it up while he still can. Adding another layer of complexity to the tale is the fact that Luke is also a very busy pot dealer with a colorful array of characters in his clientele- including said mentor/shrink. We get to ride along with Luke as he experiences the ups and down of summer love, parental bickering, and his own inner strife.
This film just really wowed me on many levels. First, its a period piece set in 1994, the summer I also graduated from high school. The fact that I'm even referring to a story that takes place in 1994 as a period piece scares the shit out of me, but alas...I guess its now my turn to get nostalgic. The early 90's aesthetic is perfecting captured, from the painful fashion to the brilliant hip hop soundtrack choc full of old school Tribe Called Quest and Biggie. Yeah, and I laughed a little too hard at that 90210 reference...
The performances in the film are outstanding. Having no point of reference for lead actor Josh Peck other than his childhood mugging on Nickelodeon's Drake and Josh, I was blown away by his deadpan, wonderfully understated portrayal of the troubled Luke. Though it doesn't hurt that since his chubby, kid-show days he's morphed into a total cutie, Josh displays a depth of character that rivals that of his costar Ben Kingsley who also delivers a terrific effort as the shrink in the middle of a mid life crisis. Actress Olivia Thirlby shines as Luke's love interest, and supporting roles by Method Man, Famke Janssen, Mary Kate Olsen, and Jane Adams playfully force you to pay attention to the meandering storyline.
Director Jonathon Levine has, to me, completely redeemed himself following his last feature, All The Boys Love Mandy Lane. While that filmed lacked all sense of originality, The Wackness takes a somewhat conventional idea and turns it on its head with fantastic visuals, clever characters, and an overall energy that I felt told a great, cohesive story.
Another great film at the fest is Throw Down Your Heart, a film documenting banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck and his journey to return the banjo to its place of origin, Africa.
While the banjo has its origins on the continent, the modern version of the instrument hasn't been seen or heard by most Africans. Likewise, most of the native instruments featured in the film are equally unfamiliar to Fleck. The juxtaposition of such tones and talent make for a fantastic musical documentary. Traveling to various countries, Fleck encounters and collaborates with singers as well as instrumentalists on percussion and stringed instruments, even meeting his match with another virtuoso on the thumb piano. While some of the featured musicians are little known local folk performers, others are renowned celebrities in their own right who Fleck intentionally sought out to work with.
The result is a mesmerizing collection of music. Part of the beauty of the songs comes directly from the mutual admiration of Fleck and his musical compatriots. Because of language barriers in some cases, the musicians literally converse through song, speaking notes in lieu of words.
Director Sascha Paladino does a great job capturing all of this musical magic on film. With the help of a genius sound engineer, the film maker is able to seize otherwise once in a lifetime performances for us all to enjoy. This documentary is a real treat for music and film lovers alike.
Well, I'm off to the fest for more films! I'll be checking in again soon, so until then...
Annette Kellerman
