Philadelphia Film Festival 2008 - Day 3

Today was the first big day of festival. Five films. I had an eclectic line up planned. I started the day off with Toe Tactic, a small indy American film. It was about a woman finding her way through life, while a group of animated animals played a game that altered things around her, leading the story in different directions. It played like a heavier, quirkier and less well-done version of Me and You and Everyone We Know. It was all just a little bit too quirky, but I give writer/director Emily Hubley points for trying something new.

A Stray Girlfriend came second. This slow, slice of life film from Argentina follows the main character after her boyfriend abandons her at the beginning of their seaside vacation. It was well directed, well acted, but ultimately lacking. I left the film feeling like it was missing a resolution. It just left me wanting more.

I saw a documentary called Join Us, which examined suburban religious cults and how they gather and control their followers. Interesting subject matter, but it was hard for me to connect with what was going on with these people. Although what they did and what happened to they was horrible, the film seemed to keep its distance. But it did remind me why I don’t like organized religion.

The first of the two best films for today was called I Just Didn’t Do it. From Japan, it was directed by Masayuki Suo (Shall We Dance?). The film was a nail-biting courtroom drama about a man convicted of molesting a woman on a crowded commuter train. He protests his innocence from the start, and could have gotten off with a slap on the wrist buy just saying he did it, but he refuses to give in.

The Japanese legal system is skewered in this film, and the apparently popular “groping” crime is used to show how easy it is for an innocent person to be found guilty. The bulk of the film follows the young man’s trial, and shows how hopeless the police and the prosecutors and the judges are making it for the guy to get a fair shake.

Well written, well directed, great performances all around, this 2.5 hour film just flew by. Intelligent and meaningful. A great combination.

The final film of the evening was an excellent retelling of a famous incident. Stuart Gordan directs Stuck, the story of a young nurse (Mena Suvari) who runs her car into a down-on-his-luck man (Stephen Rea) on her way home from her party one night.

Rather than do the sensible thing, she continues to drive home and leaves the poor man stuck in her windshield and the car parked in her garage. He is still alive, and doesn’t have enough energy to get himself out and get help. She then spends the next two days going to work and trying to figure out what to do.

What follows is a wild-ride of tense drama, comedy and gore as the man uses every survival tactic he can to save himself from this crazy girl who can’t seem to get herself together enough to do something about him. The final showdown is one for the books and had the audience screaming with laughter and horror. A great festival film and a great way to end the night. Catch it when you can!

Thats it for now. My posts may get more and more unintelligible as the festival goes on, so please forgive me.

Good night!