Two months ago, I received a black journal. It was the project of a fifth grade class, and my task was to add my contributions and then pass it on in a week’s time. Although it was not a new idea to me, it was a lot of fun, despite the fact that this particular journal only made its rotation in the Seattle area.The film 1,000 Journals follows the project by Someguy, a San Francisco artist who one day decided to release 1,000 blank journals out into the world to see what happened to them. His journals, by contrast, ended up traversing the world.

I’m a huge fan of social experimentation and doing things to invoke the human reaction. This particular movie follows the route of the books as they make their way around the world and into the homes of random individuals. When I contributed to the journal I had in my hands, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of people contributed which pieces. This film puts a bit of an explanation to the anonymity behind the project, and answers questions on a very basic level. It shows that people of all walks of life, of all ethnicities and social classes (although not all countries), found this project to be interesting and life-changing. But the most interesting part about the project were the reactions from people that no one could have ever anticipated.

For example, the book was in rotation when September 11th happened, and it documented the state of the United States at that point. It showed how initially people were sad and shocked — with many of them having personal ties to the event — and used the journal to vent their thoughts. It progressed as political issues, paranoia, and distrust of the government came into play, and all of this was shown in one cohesive mass.

Even more surprising, though, were how human beings played off of one another’s entries. A pair of artistically-inclined women in Australia decided that the thoughts of others weren’t worth keeping because they looked artistically deficient, and they pasted over those handwritten thoughts with more visually appealing images. Another artist, based in England, created his own pieces as “dedications” to individuals who had previously posted in the book. Many of his dedications were serious and heart-warming, but some of his other dedications were downright mean.

Despite these few cases of maliciousness, though, the project is an amazing one that has touched the lives of many individuals, and films like these are important, because they humanize an idea that, to those who didn’t contribute, is kind of just a cool thought. 1,000 Journals is an enjoyable film for any individual who is a fan of social experimentation and human interactions; I suggest you watch this film and then go out and engage in your own projects.

I watched Donkey Punch on a whim (it was between that film and the French sci-fi flick, Chrysalis). Both films were up for midnight screenings, but I chose Donkey Punch. Given its lude title and classification as an erotic thriller, it seemed more appropriate and entertaining for the evening. I haven’t seen Chrysalis yet, but I think Donkey Punch was the right choice. It was surely a shocker; most movies chock full of boobies and promiscuous sex turn out to be B-rated throwaways, but Donkey Punch showed a level of creativity that showed a lot of thought beneath the nude exterior.

The movie started off a bit hoaky, with believable but cheesy dialogue and a bright, beachy color palette. It looked like an Abercrombie ad turned film, and it was slightly off-putting. But it was obviously on purpose. As the movie’s storyline progressed and became increasingly sinister, tragedy befalls one of the women, causing character after character to turn on one another due to conflicts of interest. They spiral downwards, and as they do, the color palette of the film changes.

It is obvious the staff of Donkey Punch knew what they were doing in terms of lighting; despite the fact that the latter half of the movie involved the characters stumbling around in the near dark, none of the plot was lost and the darkness was not crippling. It was in fact beneficial and helped contribute to the feeling that the seven characters — many of whom were strangers — were indeed alone on a yacht on an open sea, unable to trust or believe in one another.

Donkey Punch is a film that stuck in my mind for a long time after the movie. Its plot obviously required a lot of thought because of all its little nuances, and the film as a whole was very creative with its death scenes and its character manipulations. Don’t let the name turn you off. If you can find it, watch it (I wouldn’t try searching for it illegally, however, as you’re bound to find a lot of porn).

***

Human Skateboard

Photographer and girl meet on a nudist beach.

The storyline involves scene after scene of the main character finding himself in similar compromising and voyeuristic positions. Perhaps it is his experience with being a bird photographer for National Geographic, but he becomes an expert at stalking just about anyone and everyone. But not in a creepy way… more like in a… “I’m going to rescue you” type of way. He’s practically Superman when it comes to his saving his chosen lady (who he has known for maybe a few hours).

Summer Heat is entertaining and well-shot, especially with it being director Monica van de Ven’s first attempt at directing a film. The plot as it is, however, Summer Heat feels like a B-rated movie backed by quality camerawork. Entertaining, but bound to be taken more humorously than seriously.

Director:
Monique van der Ven

Producer:
Ate de Jong

Editor:
Job ter Burg

Screenwriter:
Edwin de Vries

Cinematographer:
Lex Brand

Music:
Christian Henson

Principal Cast:
Sophie Hilbrand, Waldemar Torenstra, Jeroen Willems

Cool graphic design doesn’t even make this film interesting.

An extremely minimalist take on the lives of four deeply unhappy people. Well-shot if you are fine with a drab color palette. Largely pointless. I mean, one can stretch potential meaning if one really wants to, but this film certainly didn’t make me want to. I’m only giving it minor consideration now that I am sitting here writing this review. Continental, despite its entertaining and clever title, is nothing more than somber entertainment that fails to make any memorable or long-lasting impressions.

Director:
Stéphane Lafleur

Producer:
Luc Déry, Kim McCraw

Editor:
Sophie Leblond

Screenwriter:
Stéphane Lafleur

Cinematographer:
Sara Mishara

Music:
Stéphane Lafleur, Hugo Lavoie

Principal Cast:
Marie-Ginette Guay, Gilbert Sicotte, Fanny Mallette, Réal Bossé

Language:
French

Rainier Wenger with one fanatically fabulous student.

One of my favorite films of the 2008 Seattle International Film Festival, The Wave is based off of a true story. Although the actual story takes place in Palo Alto, California, the film takes place in Germany.Teacher Rainier Wenger receives “autocracy” for his project week theme, instead of “anarchy,” as he previously wanted. A generally unconventional character, Wenger decides to undergo a project in his class when his students declare that they think a dictatorship can never happen in Germany again. For the week, Wenger declares himself dictator and becomes the ruling leader of his newly established autocracy.Before he knows it, however, his students, newly dubbed The Wave, have taken the project outside of school grounds. They extend fascism into the hands of unwilling participants and the project soon swings out of control.

Although greatly unrealistic and exaggerated at times, one has to remember that the film is based off of real events, and that is what makes the film powerful. The Wave is a study on how one charismatic leader can motivate a populus into doing his will. It is dictatorship on a very small scale, but the haunting part is that dictatorships always start from a small group of mind-washed individuals.

Director:
Dennis Gansel

Producer:
Christina Becker, Nina Maag, David Groenewold

Editor:
Ueli Christen

Screenwriter:
Dennis Gansel, Peter Thorwart, based on the novel by Todd Strasser

Cinematographer:
Torsten Breuer

Music:
Heiko Maile

Language:
German

Principal Cast:
Jürgen Vogel, Frederick Lau, Max Riemelt, Jennifer Ulrich, Christiane Paul, Elyas M’Barek

Mother and son.

Director:
Tom Kalin

Producer:
Iker Monfort, Katie Roumel, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon

Editor:
Tom Kalin, John F. Lyons, Enara Goicoetxea

Screenwriter:
Howard A. Rodman

Cinematographer:
Juanmi Azpiroz

Principal Cast:
Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane, Hugh Dancy, Eddie Redmayne

Language:
English

A cute, happy, dysfunctional cast!

Those who have personal experience with disabled people or are particularly sensitive to the subject might find this movie to be callous and cruel. But that would be a simplified view on the subject. The movie does not set out to make fun of the disabled. The characters in the movie are unique individuals, each with their own mental and physical dysfunctions. Despite whatever quirks they have, they react to crisis in ways that any human being off the street might. The scenes that are hilarious are not hilarious because they contain disabled people; they are hilarious because they are studies on human emotion that take unexpected turns.

It seems at times like the characters are acting irrationally or intensely, making it easy to generalize that the movie is making a mockery of the disabled. But what’s important to note is that the three non-disabled characters in the movie act just as irrationally as the disabled ones do. If anything, the movie almost sets out to prove that the playing field is level, and that everyone has a little bit of crazy in them.

Director:
Bård Breien

Producer:
Dag Alveberg

Editor:
Zaklinka Stojevska

Screenwriter:
Bård Breien

Cinematographer:
Gaute Gunnari

Music:
Stein Berge Svendsen

Principal Cast:
Fridtjov Såheim, Kirsti Eline Torhaug, Henrik Mestad, Marian Saastad Ottesen, Kari Simonsen, Per Schaaning, Kjersti Holmen

Language:
Norweigan

They say when you’re hurting the deepest, it helps to drown yourself in the things you love. For some it might be in food and drink; for others, in the love of family and friends. But no post-separation binge has ever borne such interesting fruit as Nina Paley’s animated feature, Sita Sings the Blues. Born from a short animation Paley did while living in India and nurtured by her painful and sudden divorce, Sita is a generally light-hearted retelling of the Ramayana, a well-known myth of the Hindu tradition. Intertwined with the story of Sita’s undying love towards a mythically cold Rama is the rather straight-forward biography of Nina’s own experiences, with her being suddenly and shockingly abandoned by her husband after a long separation. And while the two may seem distant on paper, Paley easily reveals just how similar she and Sita are.

The story is told through a sequential rotation of animation styles, each revealing layers to the Ramayana (at least Paley’s interpretation of it). Animated shadow puppets narrate and provide humorous banter while debating the facts behind the Hindu myth. The Ramayana itself is acted out by characters pulled straight from classic tapestries, like a lush picture book come to life. These segments are typically followed by a charming and stylish musical sequence, an ode to the ups and downs of love set to the classic jazz warble of Annette Hanshaw. All three portions are light hearted and fun, with just the right amount of absurdly modern dialogue and visual puns galore.The last thread the film explores is the story of Nina, her husband Dave, and how they drifted apart. The animation is a jumble of rough scribbles and color splotches, set against visions of San Franscisco, India and New York clipped straight from the papers. Besides some slapstick involving the apartment cat, there’s not much humor associated with these segments, bringing quite the change of pace to the relatively light-hearted film. And while the segments are not embellished with defensive humor or softened with elaborate artistry, it’s the brisk pace of the film that allows these segments to bring weight to the film without dragging into an unpleasant “woe-is-me” tale.

While the film’s visuals may be the star of the show, the dialogue and sound are no slouch, either. The spastic back-and-forth between the three shadow puppets has more natural wit and provides more chuckles than even Ellen Page could hope to muster. While the humorous tangents may be a bit much at times, the script is light enough that it’s allowed these moments of wackiness without dumbing down the film whatsoever.

The musical features are a special treat as well, cleverly synched and astoundingly appropriate for Sita’s sad story. These segments on their own would make compelling viewing (not surprising since the film was sprung from a short film of one of these segments), but added into the mix they bring a new style of whimsy and fun to a film not lacking in either department.

While Sita Sings the Blues may have been born from heartache and pain, the colors and the sounds celebrate the ups and downs of love as well as the fruit our experiences bear. Though audiences may wish for a happy ending for both Sita and Nina, don’t be mistaken. Sita Sings the Blues is the happy ending.

Director/Producer/Editor/Screenwriter:
Nina Paley

Cinematographer:
Reena Shah

Music:
Todd Michaelsen, Masala Dosa, Rohan, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Nik Phelps

Principal Cast:
Featuring the Voices of: Annette Hanshaw, Aseem Chhabra, Manish Acharya, Bhavana Nagulapally, Reena Shah

Language:
English