Slamdance Virtual Film Festival Can't Miss Performances

 The Slamdance Virtual Festival is open and now you can experience what I have been so fortunate and grateful to experience with all the films I got to see and all the people I got to meet and talk to (all the interviews will be coming soon over on our channel at Go Indie Now. ) 

For $50 you not only get a week's worth of films that all are playing right now in person at the Slamdance Film Festival. You get a year long subscription to the channel. Where there are panels on filmmaking and getting to the business, amazing films that don't get any love anywhere else (well except here ;) ), and just so much. If you are an indie film fan or trying to be in this business this is a steal. You can go here to get that pass right now!

So I thought I would get you started with a little guidance on navigating the festival channel with some of my standouts from this year's festival. Now just a quick disclaimer I haven't even scratched the surface of what I have seen and there are a few still on my list as well but this is all from what I have seen already and it's a quite bit.

For this blog I am going to highlight some of my favorite performances both in front and behind the camera. 

So let's start with acting...

CHAPERONE

Misha Miyamoto, 29, lives alone in the house her grandmother left her, has held the same job since high school, and likes her life as is: simple. Unfortunately, her satisfaction disappoints everyone around her. Her boss can't fathom why she won't take a promotion, her lack of ambition dissuades potential love interests and her parents push her to sell her estate since she has no interest in starting a family. These pressures leave Misha alienated, isolated and sick of justifying her choices. So when Jake, an earnest 19-year-old, mistakes Misha for a high school student, she finds solace in his lack of expectation and starts a relationship with him. As their relationship grows, so does Misha’s reckless behavior.

• Director:
  Zoë Eisenberg
• Screenwriter:
  Zoë Eisenberg
• Producer:
  Alison Week, Devin Murphy
• Cast:
  Mitzi Akaha, Laird Akeo, Kanoa Goo, Jessica Jade Andres, Krista Alvarez, Ioane Goodhue
  
  
  

WHAT THIS FILM DOES WELL: It cast Mitzi Akaha and let her lead this film. Her performance was not only my favorite female lead performance of all the films in the festival but my favorite performance period. Mitzi plays Misha Miyamoto and if you can't tell from the film description above what Writer/Director Zoe Eisenberg puts Misha through would cripple mere mortals and in lesser hands it might come off in a very wrong way on screen. However Mitzi navigates her arc with a precision and timing that is impeccable. She draws on emotions like lava boiling underneath the surface and building to errupt and yet never fully gushes, instead just spreads out and covers the entire frame, burning a lot of what was in the way but moreover clumping up internally and just being a big mess. Her ability to withdraw both mentally and physcially are so impressive here. Mitzi could have easily gone over the top but instead she provides outwardly a shaky false bravado, coupled with this nice punk rock sentimentality that often becomes so clumsy and understated that there is a layer of sympatheticness that wouldn't exist for this character in a lesser actor's hands. Zoe's words are also helpful to enhance and give Mitzi some breathing room to explore. There is a nice rythym to them, that keep us engaged and help us navigate what we all see coming. It's the beauty and uglyness of this story intertwining that leads to one of the best 3rd acts of any film I have seen in this festival and of this year so far.  Equally Zoe is as smart a director as she is a writer, giving all her trust in Mitzi and just turning the camera on her. I love how there is an almost a cinema verite style to Zoe's design of framing Misha and all that happens. I also love the patience Zoe shows in letting Mitzi take Misha into these internal moments or two and just be there however long it needs to be. The choices Mitzi makes to be still and reflect or to be still so she can scheme and contemplate are as impressive as how she says the words. 

This being said, I think all great performances are also helped by good supporting cast members and this film has them tenfold in Laird Akeo, Kanoa Goo, and Jessica Jade Andrews. All three have a hand in pressing Misha into action and in different ways, which again allows us to see what Mitzi wants us to see of Misha from her various sides. I also love Hawaii as the backdrop for this story, because of its serenity and calmness the chaos in front of and among it is even more amplified.

WHY CHAMPION THIS FILM: Look I enjoyed this film, the 2nd act does drag us along a little bit too much but if you want to see how a Maestro conducts a world class symphony, you need to look no further than this film and the performance of Mitzi Akaha. So stick with it, you will get paid off in the end and left with a little something to think about too.

BLISS 

Virgil Bliss has been a fugitive for twenty years. His decision to return to the scene of his original crime and finally make amends is complicated by the sudden death of his girlfriend Amy, and the unexpected arrival of Amy's holy-roller sister who catches Virgil up in a web of lies and deceit. At once a dark fable of persistence, perseverance and the transformative power of love, but also a searing indictment of the American carceral system and our ongoing opioid epidemic. "Bliss" is the sequel to the 2001 Indie Spirit Award nominated debut feature "Virgil Bliss" and is the second installment of the Virgil Bliss trilogy.

• Director:
  Joe Maggio
• Screenwriter:
  Joe Maggio, Faryl Amadeus, Clint Jordan
• Producer:
  Paula Killen, Matthew Myers, Larry Fessenden
• Cast:
  Clint Jordan, Faryl Amadeus, Juan Fernandez

WHAT THIS FILM DOES WELL: Clint Jordan has already been nominated for Independent Spirit Award for this specfic character but that happened in 2002 when he first played the role of Virgil Bliss. The first film Virgil Bliss also played at Slamdance and now here he is some 20 years with the same director Joe Maggio directing him once again, playing Virgil again, or should we call him Dwayne as he tries to be referred to as in the beginning. That name plays into one of the glorious Easter eggs we get for those who watched Virgil Bliss. Now I will say you do not need to watch the 1st film to enjoy or be into this one. They are actually really 2 different films. That being said it does not diminish what Clint is able to do with a now older and weathered Virgil Bliss here. In fact I think it is even more impressive. Clint is a powerhouse, he has so much control when it comes to Virgil. He is so subtle, yet so magnetic and dynamic, it is one of those of roles and acting performances that should be studied by other actors. Now what helps this version of Virgil and Clint himself as the actor, besides how he wears the years on his sleeve, is the newfound partnership he has with his co-star and co-writer Faryl Amadeus, who plays Amy and Jo. 

Faryl is such a great ying to Clint's yang here. This partnership is so paramount in why Clint shines but it is also able to highlight why he is so fucking good here too. There are moments so raw, so real, so intense that there is hardly words ever said with them. I would not want to get into a staring contest with either of these characters. The end shot of this film is the one of the best shots I have ever seen. I love Joe Maggio's approach to this one, there is a maturity you see within the filmmaking itself here and that is an amazing thing to see but there is also a nice idea of these being 2 different versions of Virgil, even when glimpses of his younger self come out, there is a different way in which they do.  Again another super smart filmmaker who knows what he has, opens the shots up to let them go from one end of the frame to the other and then when there is stillness just frames it so perfect that you can't be anything be compelled to watch. There is an amazing scene with an outdoor shower that, along with an incredible musical number that filters over it, there are no words ever said and it is so powerful and the metaphors and signifigance of what it has to do with these 2 characters is beyond astounding. I would watch Clint Jordan eat pieces of paper and just sit there chewing for 20 minutes and know I'd be be riveted, he is that good.

WHY CHAMPION THIS FILM: Well this might be worth the price of the entire Slamdance Channel subscription because you can watch both films right now with the virtual pass and I think if you are a cinephile it has to be a moral imperative. This film touches on so many key elements of life after a certain age and I think you don't ever get films told in this perspective that resonate universally no matter at what age you watch it. Clint is so compelling and then when you mix in Faryl you have maybe the best 1 - 2 punch in Independent Cinema right now. I have been told there is a 3rd film to come too. I am already rubbing my hands together in anticipation, it'd be great to have some friends join me in that. 

DARUMA 

Daruma follows PATRICK (wheelchair user) who discovers he has a four-year-old daughter from a one-night stand years ago. He agrees to take her and becomes the beneficiary of her mother’s life insurance policy, but soon discovers he’s not fit to parent and that she’d do better living with her maternal grandparents on the East Coast. Unable to drive and reluctant to fly for fear of damaging his chair, Patrick enlists the help of his cantankerous neighbor ROBERT (double amputee) to drive them. Along the way, they discover the meaning of self-sacrifice, forgiveness and what it truly means to be a family. Daruma is a heart-warming tale of how to pick yourself up and move forward in life when it seems impossible. DARUMA has been lauded for its authenticity and is the first known feature film to star two leads with disabilities in a narrative not about overcoming a disability.

• Director:
  Alexander Yellen
• Screenwriter:
  Kelli McNeil-Yellen
• Producer:
  Kelli McNeil-Yellen, Alexander Yellen, Jodi Binstock
• Cast:
  Tobias Forrest, John W. Lawson, Abigail Hawk, Barry Bostwick, Victoria Scott, Joy Nash, Sandi McCree, Austin Basis

WHAT THIS FILM DOES WELL:  This is my pick for my favorite ensemble cast from the films I saw at the Festival. I love these characters Kelli wrote and created and how the actors each took and molded into their own. I think the strength of this movie is how they all interact with one another and move the story forward. I think John Lawson and Abigail Hawk steal every scene they are in especially. Abigail has this nice quiet strength as Anna that she only lets out for the lead character Patrick when she feels he's earned it. Its subtle but direct, smart and strong, and you don't always get that from a character like this. Her character makes the best choice in the film and it is so unexpected. Which kind of sums up what this film is, completely unexpected. If you were to watch the first 15-20 minutes you would not think you were on a journey like this and I love that about this script and this film. 

It allows characters like John's character Robert, an opportunity to be the unexpected voice and anchor that a character like Patrick needs. He doesn't start out that way. It's kind of a neat trick here where you get a little bit of every character's expected, almost tropey like perception and expectation and then they project their depth and give you these real human moments and thats when the humor really resonates and our attachment to the characters comes to fruition. Yeah it takes a little while but good things come to those who wait. 


I loved the 2nd act of this film, I really felt like that's when it found its legs. Its also when Anna and Robert are most prominent and I don't think that's an accident as to why I liked this part of the film especially. 

I have to say to Victoria Scott jumps off the screen as Camila, she is the catalyst for all that happens here and to ask that of a 5 year old, that is super impressive. I think Tobias Forrest, as essentially our unreliable narrator, and the lead Patrick, helps keep us in this. We would be lost without him and I don't think anyone else could have helped these others steal the scene quite like Tobias does. His giving as an actor really lends a lot of how this film and his character move forward. There's some subtly in Horace, the grandfather figure Barry Bostwick plays. We get to see a little different side to an actor we are quite familiar with and I would say the same about Abigail, who most would know for her role in Blue Bloods (a much, much different character).  I have to also give some love to Alexander Yellen who directed and shot this film. I liked his production design and he is a maestro with visuals for sure. A lot of these shots are so impressive. His use of natural light is some of the most impressive compositions I have seen from films here in this festival.

WHY CHAMPION THIS FILM: This is one of those films where if you stick with it, you really get rewarded. Its interesting to watch a film that has such a growth and matures right before your eyes in 95 minutes or so. I think life is complicated, messy, and it doesn't always end or go the way you think it will and this film represents that, which is super refreshing. I like that for what might appear as a conventional story, arc, and based on its humor especially early on, might be a film I describe a different way. I love that it just kept on surprising me. That doesn't happen often in storytelling for this audience member, so I appreciate it so much when it does, and all the artists involved played a role in that but the cast as a whole was so incredible, you also don't get that a lot either. 

So let's talk behind the camera performances...

RESTORAGE 

 

A fractured group of siblings each receive a portion of their inheritance. Robert receives the business legacy, Lisa is given the family estate and a priceless family heirloom, and Chase, receives an old storage unit filled with junk. Chase and Robert quarrel and he inadvertently breaks the vase causing a greater rift in the family. 

Chase goes to the storage unit and discovers that it can repair anything that has been broken that has been placed inside. Chase takes his siblings to the storage unit in an attempt to fix the broken vase but everything goes mysteriously sideways.

• Director:
  E'an Verdugo
• Screenwriter:
  Caleb Davis, E'an Verdugo
• Producer:
  Caleb Davis, Alana Rood
• Cast:
  Connor Boyd, Olivia Clari Nice, Jacob Daniels, Joan Deschamps, Stephen Miller, Francis Juarez

WHAT THIS PILOT DOES WELL: This was my favorite written piece from the Festival. It's an episodic pilot for what I hope becomes a series we get to see in many seasons of programming to come. Truthfully everything that E'an and Caleb did was so on point from the look, the feel, and the acting but none of that would be as impressive without the writing. I spoke to them in great lengths (which you all will see soon) asking about how they packed so much into a 30 minute pilot and I am still not sure how they did it. The framework in just this first episode did everything a great pilot does. It starts you right in the thick of the action with an incredible foreshadowing and even with that scene, the next one puts you right there would you should be. There is not a lot of fluff ever throughout this in fact. The humor here is perfectly timed and while the actors decided and worked on how to deliver these words, it was very clear from watching them being said they were the words that were needed and in the way they were needed as well. I also love what is actually established in this pilot. We get just enough to be intrigued and just enough never to be lost and even when we are, its brief, almost as if E'an and Caleb were reading our minds. Even the hook is handled cleverly here and I can't wait to learn more about it. Connor Boyd anchors what is another great ensemble cast. His choices as Chase work so well in tandem with the dialogue and his interactions with the other siblings; especially Olivia Clare-Nice, as Lisa, who steals a lot of these scenes for me. I love the pacing of every scene here as well. 

WHY CHAMPION THIS PILOT :  Real simply this is a series I for one want to see and I think there will be a lot of us who do see this pilot who will feel the same. As someone who once worked on pilots and in the business of how shows used to get made, this would have blown the doors off of any network seeking interesting and entertaining content. So for those of you out there who ever wonder what makes a show stick and what makes it attractive this is a really great example of that. Its also just phenonomal storytelling at its core and I think a lot of us who write in a shorter fiction form would dig this. I also think if you like to laugh and are a fan of science fiction in that type of way you will enjoy this too.

SHADOW

A young mother's shadow takes on a life of its own, terrorizing her and her daughter over the course of one night.

• Director:
  Kamell Allaway
• Screenwriter:
  Kamell Allaway
• Producer:
  Kamell Allaway, Adam Tyree, Ashley Rosenberg, Tim Smith
• Cast:
  Katy Wright-Mead, Valentina Gordon, Christy St. John
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  WHAT THIS SHORT DOES WELL: There has never been a more apt title bestowed upon a piece of art like for this short film. The camera moves like a shadow on the wall and absorbs everything for our viewing pleasure with a type of fluid movement and stillness that horror masters dream of executing. From what we observe, we end up feeling, and with the use of very little dialogue, this short piece says so much. This cinematography here is so stellar, so spectacular you feel like your eyeballs are the lens. It's not just what we see but how we see, as we observe and record what is going on around a young daughter and her mother from angles and spots we are put into, in this one room, that act almost as hiding spots for us the audience. 
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  Following the actors and all they do too and the choices these 2 women make are another great convention of the camera work. Also coupling what we see with the acting prowess of Katy Wright-Mead as the mother, Valentina Gordon and Christy St John for the young girl really enhances the experience here. They are so good at reacting and kind of sheletering us at times. I'm always impressed by actors who do so much with so little to say, it's a skillset not all actors can do, but that these women do superlatively. 
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  Then just when we get comfortable sneaking around Kamell and his team turn it on us and put right smack in the middle with these jarring shots of an attack on our senses. The choice of black and white give this nostaglic horror feel but also just outline and highlight what exactly we need to focus in on and that becomes equally as jarring. It's a clever storytelling device that works so well in this environment and with this story in particular. 
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  WHY CHAMPION THIS SHORT : Art and stories like this are a great mix of what we love about horror, what scares some of us, and what impresses those of us who love films and want to make them. There is a care and passion here that resonates so strongly throughout this piece and it lends itself a quick and fun ride. It's also very emblematic of the attage show don't tell and how to utilize all our senses.  
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  MY FINAL BLOG ON SLAMDANCE WILL GET REAL AND REAL FUNNY...