Over the past week I was able to see nine movies out of several hundred available at the 36th Palm Springs Film Festival. There was NOT one prequel OR sequel shown to my knowledge. Each film was unique, individual and most were from around the world! There were many unique stories to tell not the endless pap we get from Hollywood which seems to have run out of ideas.
To give you an idea of the variety I will give a short synopsis of the nine I saw. I encourage you to see many of them though the MAGA crowd may not be happy that several feature Gay relationships.
FOUR MOTHERS: an Irish entry, tells of a successful Gay author who tries to balance his career and care of his stroke victim mother. She is a handful and while trying to figure out care for her so he can go on a book tour in America finds his Gay friends dump their mothers on him as well. They don't like each other and make impossible demands on him. There is a solution but, as they say, the journey there is funny, touching and poignant. Highly recommended!
I DON'T UNDERSTAND YOU: A Gay couple is waiting to adopt a child. They have finally been chosen and decide to celebrate the adoption and their 10th anniversary in Italy before their lives change. Friends arrange the visit, hotel, car rental and dinner with a fabulous cook. Somehow, four murders later they return to the hotel and home in time to get their baby. It is funny, shocking and amazing and had the audience not sure if it should laugh or cry! It got a hardy applause!
LOVE ME: A live action-animation story of love between two entities in the distant future where the earth is just water and all life is gone. It questions what life and love are. Sobering look at our future if we don't become better caretakers of Earth.
MISTRESS DISPELLER: From China, this tells of how a wife can hire a woman to get rid of her husband's mistress. Certainly a new story line. The wife finds proof of her suspicions and hires the dispeller who meets the mistress, brings wife and mistress together, confronts the husband and after this is done helps the mistress find a man of her own. I have never seen anything like this but apparently it IS done in China.
OLD FOX: A Taiwanese movie of a widowed father and son trying to improve their lives. The son befriends a powerful landlord and the two become friends as the "Fox" recognizes himself in the boy and decides to help.
GROUP THERAPY: Hosted by Neal Patrick Harris he queries a collection of comedians about their lives and struggles. I realize some of our best comedians come from a world of pain and hurt. Their act is a kind of working through this pain. While interesting I can think of several Billy Crystal movies that did it better. It does make you wonder how society functions after listening to them.
DRIVE BACK HOME: Alan Cummings stars as a Gay brother whose straight brother is called to bail him out of jail. Their journey from Toronto to New Brunswick finally gives them time to adjust and learn to care for each other. Wear a sweater. Canada in winter is COLD!
A NICE INDIAN BOY: A huge crowd pleaser (packed house and huge standby crowd) an about a young, Gay East Indian doctor looking for a partner. From an Indian play, the American Indie cast creates a beginning and end with a sister marrying first and her Gay brother in the end. It truly explores love both arranged and through romance in a truly captivating way. It will have a general release in April. Highly recommended!
THE MOUNTAIN: Three kids befriend each other in New Zealand as a girl with cancer is convinced that if she can climb Mt. Taranaki she will be healed. All three kids have lost parents and becomes the tie that binds. It looks at parents, love and the struggle to move on.
These were all original plots that address the human condition as many good films do. Hollywood has lost its way and needs to look farther away just as the best films do. As I saw last week, there are still many good stories to tell. You just have to have the courage to tell them.
Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!
Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!
