Back to the Movies
As a Film Production major, one of my favorite trips of the year is the Telluride Film Festival, not to mention the unreal, breath-taking views that the town of Telluride has to offer. This year, my mom and I stepped up our festival-going experience by purchasing the Festival Pass.
Although last year was nothing short of amazing, the pass made all the difference in our experience. The pass guaranteed seats in the theaters (and typically better seats, nonetheless), as well as entry into the festival's major events, such as the Opening Night Feed and the Labor Day Picnic. Not only that, but the pass allowed us to spend more time in Telluride, exploring the outdoors and trying new foods, since we didn't have to wait as long for entry into the theaters.
So, in my best explainations, let me take you through a day-by-day synopsis of the 44th Telluride Film Festival!
Thursday:
Now, obviously the school year just started, so it's not the best time to be leaving, but luckily my schedule this semester allows me to miss one day of classes over the course of the weekend. With that being said, Thursday was not that day, so I attended each of my classes. With the final class drawing to an end at 3:15pm, I immediately hopped in my car to meet my mom in Evergreen, then we made our way to Telluride for the following six hours.
Like last year, we are staying at the Mountain Lodge Resort in Mountain Village, a hotel located above Telluride, with access to the main street by car or gondola! We checked in around midnight and headed to our room. To our surprise, we were given a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom condo, rather than the one bedroom/one bathroom suite-style hotel room that we had requested.
Friday:
Ah! The first day of the festival. Unique to the 44th Telluride Film Festival, the shows began today rather than the typical Saturday premieres. For our first film, we attempted to get into That Summer at a theater called The Backlot. But, since nearly everyone in Telluride was lined up to see the first film of the weekend, we were unable to get in. It is the smallest theater in town, holding 50 people, and to our dismay, we were number 56 and 57 in line. Just barely denied entry, but luckily it was the only time we were turned away from a film this year.
Rather than going to a different film, we headed to the end of town, where Colorado's tallest waterfall, Bridal Veil Falls, nestles among the mountains.
After viewing the waterfall, we walked around the shops along Colorado Avenue, then headed to the Open Feed, where dozens of passholders gathered with one another to kickoff the festival and enjoy food. The festival shuts down the street, and the Open Feed floods with staff, volunteers, sponsors, students, professors, actors, directors, producers, and film lovers from all around the world. We had a chance to catch up with our friends before heading up the mountain.
At the Chuck Jones theater in Mountain Village, we waited in line to see Lady Bird - our first movie.
Lady Bird
Telluride Synopsis
"In order to show the world she’s not her mother’s daughter, a senior in a Catholic high school (Saoirse Ronan) takes the name Lady Bird. Marion (Laurie Metcalf), the overworked and underpaid mom, can’t help but respond with her bitterly sharp tongue. In beautifully performed scenes, the mother and daughter’s comic fury and mutual misrecognition form the spine of a sly take on rites of passage in the perpetual Purgatory that is high school. The gifted actress Greta Gerwig makes her debut as a writer-director, coaxing superb performances from a supporting cast that includes Tracy Letts (a gentle, overwhelmed dad), Lucas Hedges (a tooperfect boyfriend), and Lois Smith (an unexpectedly hip nun). Shooting on the Sacramento streets where she grew up, setting the action in 2001- 2002, the year she graduated, Gerwig has made a passionate, personal, surprisingly nostalgic work."
My Opinion
Drawing similarities to Kelly Fremon Craig's 2016 film, Edge of Seventeen, Lady Bird was a coming-of-age film with an incredible script full of wit and charm. Although I did not relate entirely to the Catholic school comedy surrounding the film, I was still able to relate to some aspects of the mother-daughter relationship displayed on screen. Overall: 4/5
Saturday:
We began our day by heading down the gondola to see the student prints at The Nugget. It's always fun to talk to other movie buffs in the gondola, and today we had two special people sitting across from us - Camilla Magid, the director of Land of the Free, and the Netflix distributor for Angelina Jolie's film, First They Killed My Father. They were incredible people and Camilla Magid was so sweet, but unfortunately we weren't able to fit either of the movies into our schedule during the festival, yet First They Killed My Father, a Cambodian girl's story of the genocide and terror in her country, will be released on Netflix in mid-September. Upon arriving in town, we grabbed our coffee and headed into the theater for the student prints, a series of 5 short films from students around the world.
It's Just a Gun
Telluride Synopsis
"(d. Brian Robau, U.S., 2016, 13m, Chapman University) And you’re just a kid."
My Opinion
This short was filmed beautifully and touched on relevant political topics such as police brutality, as well as underlying messages of gun control. Overall: 4/5
Leaving Syria: Long Live the Youth
Telluride Synopsis
"(d. Yara Atz, Switzerland, 2017, 33m, Geneva University of Art & Design) First they cross water, then they risk land. A group of young men flee a war-torn home."
My Opinion
A documentary filmed from the perspective of a group of refugees on their journey to leave Syria. With a slow pace and handheld footage, I found the film to be more boring than informative. Overall: 1/5
Homeland
Telluride Synopsis
"(d. Sam Peeters, Belgium, 2017, 14m, Royal Institute of Theatre, Cinema and Sound) Take the pulse of a peaceful, homogenous Flemish suburb."
My Opinion
The opposite of the prior film, this short film addresses the American opinions of refugees entering our country. The film had beautiful shots, including drone footage and close-ups. Overall: 3.5/5
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Telluride Synopsis
"(d. Sunday Emerson Gullifer, Australia, 2016, 24m, Victorian College of the Arts) You are a woman in a play. Learn your part. Know your place."
My Opinion
Funny. With issues surrounding women in lead roles and abuse, the film was informative and funny, without taking away from the storyline. Overall: 4/5
Who's Who in Mycology
Telluride Synopsis
"(d. Marie Dvorakova, U.S., 2017, 16m, NYU) An unassuming trombone player must face the tribunal of fungi."
My Opinion
Such a strange concept, but the movie was entertaining, nonetheless. Overall: 3.5/5
After the student prints, we headed to the Werner Herzog theater to watch Downsizing and The Shape of Water, followed by a Q&A with two renowned directors and one of the actors from the film.
Downsizing
Telluride Synopsis
"In the alternative reality of Alexander Payne’s insanely inventive new film, Scandinavian scientists, hoping to solve ecological crises stemming from overpopulation, master the technology of shrinking human beings to several inches in size. Payne and writing partner Jim Taylor manage to miraculously combine the satirical implications of this premise with a disarming romantic comedy. Matt Damon is a modest, unassuming Candide-like occupational therapist from Omaha who cheerfully embraces the adventure of “going small”; Christoph Waltz is his charmingly sleazy neighbor and Hong Chau plays a Vietnamese emigrant who changes his life; wonderful support comes from Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Neil Patrick Harris and Margo Martindale. Production designer Stefania Cella and cinematographer Phedon Papamichael help Payne envision this comic dystopian universe, resulting in a shape-andtone-shifting work that leaves us more than a little in awe."
My Opinion
Probably the most disappointing film of the festival. With A-list actors, I held high expectations and assumed it would be a well produced movie. While entertaining, it was not a film that I would ever want to see again. Giving off vibes of Honey I Shrunk the Kids, the concept was strange and the film took many political turns (too much to the point of disinterest, but maybe that's just a personal preference; I would rather not be bombarded with an overexcessive amount of political opinions during a time that I dedicate to leisure and entertainment). Though entertaining, it was slightly too long to hold my interest, I thought several irrelevant scenes could have been cut out in order to keep the film moving at a faster pace. Overall: 2.5/5
The Shape of Water + Q&A
Telluride Synopsis
"Writer-director Guillermo del Toro and co-writer Vanessa Taylor transport us to an alternative reality: an amber-glowing Baltimore in 1962, the year before John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a timid lonely-heart mopping floors in a government lab, encounters a magical “asset” being studied and tortured by an obsessive federal agent (Michael Shannon, as always superb). The intensity of her connection to this “beast” changes her life. The brilliant ensemble includes Richard Jenkins, playing Elisa’s artist/neighbor with frustrated romantic longings; Octavia Spencer as her no-nonsense work buddy; and Michael Stuhlbarg; a scientist with mixed motives. In a work that shares the soulfulness of his fine PAN’S LABYRINTH, del Toro creates a richly detailed, wondrous world with designer Paul Austerberry and cinematographer Dan Laustsen, magically weaving elements of horror, fairy-tale romance, and sharp Cold War satire to unforgettable effect."
My Opinion
Guillermo del Toro just nominated himself for an Oscar with that film. As an auteur filmmaker, The Shape of Water drew similarities with his other films, from themes to filming techniques. The plot of the film was magical, attentive, comedic yet loving, and unique. Guillermo, himself, said that the concept derived from a drunken night at the bar with filmmaker, Alejandro Inarritu, where the two playfully joked that he should make a movie about "a girl fucking a fish," pardon my language. Del Toro's cinematic choices and use of specific colors in the film conveyed the emotions that tied in with the plot. Nevertheless, the eccentric plot and beautiful cinematography paired to create a film that was nothing short of spectacular. Overall: 4.5/5
Sunday:
Today was a busy day to say the least. We woke up at 6:30am and attended 4 films as well as a conversation in the park. We were taking part of the festival scene until nearly 1 o'clock in the morning. We began our day at the Chuck Jones for a Tribute to Christian Bale and The Rider. Then, we took the gondola down to Elk's Park for a conversation with Ken Burns, Francis Ford Coppola, and Lynn Novick, followed by That Summer at The Backlot, and finishing off the night back at Chuck Jones theater for Battle of the Sexes.
Tribute to Christian Bale + Q&A + Hostiles
Telluride Synopsis
"Can it really be 30 years since we first encountered 13-year-old Christian Bale in Steven Spielberg’s EMPIRE OF THE SUN (1987)? The young screen newcomer made a vivid impression on audiences and critics alike in an emotionally challenging role. He hated the attention and media coverage the movie brought him but he knew that acting was what he wanted to do. He considered attending one of Britain’s leading acting schools but decided to continue working instead. Given the breadth of what he has achieved in the years since then, he may be the world’s most impressive spokesman for on-the-job training. There is nothing he won’t try. As an adolescent he learned to sing and dance for NEWSIES (1992) and SWING KIDS (1993). He tackled Shakespeare for Kenneth Branagh in HENRY V (1989) and Michael Hoffman in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (1999). He fearlessly faced his darker side in AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000) and THE MACHINIST (2004), for which he famously lost 60 pounds. No one could have anticipated that this intense (and intensely private) actor would seek out the role of Bruce Wayne in BATMAN BEGINS (2005), but the part, and the chance to work with Christopher Nolan, intrigued him. His reinvention of the character in that film, followed by THE DARK KNIGHT (2008) and THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012), won him critical accolades and an enormous new following. He then took on another iconic movie character, John Connor, in TERMINATOR SALVATION (2009). Buoyed by this success, he sought out projects that would bring him personal satisfaction. He worked with Terrence Malick on THE NEW WORLD (2005), Werner Herzog on RESCUE DAWN (2006), Michael Mann on PUBLIC ENEMIES (2009) and David O. Russell in AMERICAN HUSTLE (2013) and THE FIGHTER (2009), for which he earned an Academy Award for the transformational performance as former professional boxer, “The Pride of Lowell,” Dick Eklund. Through all of this he has carefully maintained a distance from the public, giving as few interviews as possible in the hope that moviegoers will have an easier time buying into his characters if they don’t have to shed their familiarity with Christian Bale. This aloofness may frustrate magazine editors and television interviewers but it has served the actor well. He is able to shed his skin for each new project—be it a Western like 3:10 TO YUMA (2007) or a contemporary rust-belt drama like OUT OF THE FURNACE (2013). He and writer-director Scott Cooper clearly got along well on OUT OF THE FURNACE, as they have now collaborated on a second film, HOSTILES. This may be a less physical and more internal performance than some on Bale’s résumé, but that is also its strength: the ability to reveal so much about his character through Cooper’s repeated closeups of his face. It’s a face we haven’t tired of over 30 years’ time, and that isn’t likely to change in the foreseeable future."
"Scott Cooper (BLACK MASS) reworks a script by the late Donald Stewart to tell the story of Captain Joe Blocker (Christian Bale), stationed in the untamed West in 1892. After decades of fighting bloody battles with “hostile” indigenous people, Blocker angrily and reluctantly agrees to transport an old, sick enemy (Wes Studi) safely to his tribal home in Montana. Things grow more complicated when he must give protection to a grief-stricken widow (Rosamund Pike), who has endured frontier violence at its most terrifying. Cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi memorably frames the mountains, canyons and deserts of New Mexico in their harsh beauty, and Bale gives one of his finest performances as a man forced to question lifelong beliefs as he travels an anguished road towards redemption. The superb supporting cast—Ben Foster, Scott Wilson, Stephen Lang, Rory Cochrane, and Peter Mullan—make HOSTILES a riveting adventure-drama."
My Opinion
An incredible performance by Christian Bale, and the tribute dedicated to 10-15 of his most popular roles, from childhood to now, represented the dedication of the actor. Bale emerges himself in his characters, losing and gaining weight accordingly for each of his roles. The newest film, Hostiles, is a modern western drawing similarities to the academy award winner, The Revenant. Be sure to stick around for the ending because it was iconic, this scene was thought out so meticulously and deserves a round of applause. Overall: 4.5/5
The Rider + Q&A
Telluride Synopsis
"In Chloé Zhao’s impressive second feature, winner of the Grand Prize at Cannes’ Director’s Fortnight, a youthful rodeo-rider Brady Blackburn (Brady Jandreau) faces daunting challenges as he recovers from an injury, compounded by his family’s poverty. Jandreau’s calm and rugged handsomeness make him a screen natural and the camera rarely leaves him, including a scene in which he skillfully and lovingly tames a finicky horse. Cinematographer Joshua James Richards beautifully, but never showily, captures the exquisite South Dakota landscapes. And Zhao works in a quiet, precise documentary mode, structuring the action in collaboration with a cast of non-professionals, all of whom have lived the triumphs and tragedies in being a modern-day cowboy, or in caring for one. As THE RIDER progresses, we discover the unstoppable allure of those eight seconds on the backs of bucking broncos that young cowboys live, and sometimes die, for."
My Opinion
This film includes a cast of kind hearted people with truly beautiful souls. The Rider is a documentary style film about an injured bull rider, and it left my heart tingling for so many reasons. The director didn't just follow the easy story, but rather the intriguing story of friendship, family relationships, passions, and rebuilding of a lifestyle. Overall: 4.5/5
Conversation
Telluride Synopsis
"Join an intimate dialogue about the movies and whatever else is on the minds of the Festival’s guests."
My Opinion In the park, we joined documentary filmmaker, Ken Burns, his partner, Lynn Novick, and one of the film industry's most successful director/producer, Francis Ford Coppola, for an intimate conversation. Ken Burns and Lynn Novick released a 10-part documentary on PBS about the Vietnam War, and lucky for them, it grabbed the attention of Ford Coppola. The three discussed Ken Burn's filmmaking style, the war itself, and the importance of the story the are trying to convey in the show. Overall: 4/5
That Summer
Telluride Synopsis
"Albert and David Maysles’ classic GREY GARDENS immortalized the estate of Edith and Little Edie Beale, relatives of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, who lived in alarmingly poor conditions. But there is more to the story: it was Lee Radziwill and Peter Beard who first brought the Maysles to the Beales, when the two set out to make a film about Radziwill’s childhood. The reels of that first contact were shelved for 45 years. This documentary by Göran Hugo Olsson (BLACK POWER MIXTAPE) recovers the lost footage. Anchored in Beard’s recollections and artistic vision, we are returned to “that summer” in 1972, a seductive dreamworld and collage of radically unconventional creative personalities—Warhol, Bacon, Jagger, Capote—practicing the art of living amidst oppressive forces of class expectation and prejudice."
My Opinion
Beware that this is not a typical film. Although interesting, it is not a narrative with a plot. It is a compilation of found Super8 footage of the Beales, Jackie Kennedy's relatives, a rich family with lots of quirks. It was especially interesting for me because my film class in working with Super8 film right now. That Summer was funny and observing the Beale's strange lifestyle was appealing, but I would prefer to stick to a film with a plot. Overall: 3/5
Battle of the Sexes
Telluride Synopsis
"It’s 1973 and Billie Jean King (Emma Stone), America’s top-ranked female tennis player, tired of being paid a fraction of what her male counterparts receive, starts an all-women’s pro tennis tour. Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell), an eccentric gambler and formidable tennis hustler, spots her as his chance at fame, fortune and the role of hero for the male chauvinism movement. But this true story of consciousness-raising and empowerment takes a funny bounce as Billie Jean finds herself questioning her sexual identity in ways she never anticipated. Directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton and scenarist Simon Beaufoy (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE) keep the comic circus atmosphere humming, while reminding us of how far we’ve come, and yet still have to go. Stone and Carell receive superb support from a cast including Bill Pullman, Sarah Silverman, Austin Stowell, Alan Cumming, Elisabeth Shue and Andrea Riseborough, as the woman who changes Billie Jean’s life."
My Opinion
Emma Stone, last year's "Best Actress," could very well reclaim her title. Based on a true story, she depicts Billie Jean King in the famous tennis match against Bobby Riggs. Unknowing of the story, I found the film to be especially interesting, but even the people that recognized the plot seemingly left the film with similar contentment, and Emma Stone was convincing in her character. Another cool tidbit about the film is that all of the production animations prior to the start of the movie were replicated from their 1970s look. Overall:4/5
Monday:
The final day of films is upon us and the TBAs of the highest demanded films from the weekend were announced. We made a schedule that flowed, consisting of the closing Labor Day Picnic in the Town Park, First Reformed in the Mason's Hall Theater, Lean on Pete at Werner Herzog theater, and The Darkest Hour at The Palm.
The Labor Day Picnic kicked off our final day of films, but closed out the festival for many of the guests as they left Telluride. We connected with other festival-goers to talk about our favorite movies of the weekend, as well as chat alongside some of the producers, directors, and actors at the picnic.
Following the picnic, we walked into town for our final films, waiting in our last lines and watching the sunset on the mountains.
First Reformed
Telluride Synopsis
"Reverend Toller (Ethan Hawke) manages his deep grief and acute spiritual loneliness while ministering to a tiny congregation in wintry, upstate New York. When Mary (Amanda Seyfried), a member of his congregation, asks him to counsel her troubled husband, a radical environmentalist, Toller finds himself confronted with a series of agonizing moral choices. Writerdirector Paul Schrader has spent his iconic career relentlessly investigating obsessive heroes who live on the razor’s edge between violence and salvation; here, he continues this 40-year project, using his unparalleled intellectual rigor, a purity of cinematic means and Hawke’s astonishing lead performance to devastating emotional effect. Referring to this film as DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST meets TAXI DRIVER (which he wrote for Martin Scorsese), Schrader has painted a new masterpiece."
My Opinion
Very weird. This film ends on a complete cliffhanger, which left some of the audience furious and others intrigued. This was probably the film with the greatest number of mixed reviews. Some people loved it and some absolutely hated it. Overall: 3/5
Lean on Pete
Telluride Synopsis
"Charley Thompson (Charlie Plummer), a quiet, stoical teenager, just wants some stability. But his good-natured yet recklessly irresponsible dad Ray (Travis Fimmel) yanks him away from his home, school and friends. When disaster strikes, Charley is set adrift, finding a glimmer of hope in the surprising form of an aging racehorse, Lean on Pete, managed by the cynical Dell (Steve Buscemi) and ridden by the tough-minded Bonnie (Chloë Sevigny). British writer-director Andrew Haigh (WEEKEND, 45 YEARS), working from Willy Vlautin’s popular novel, is fascinated by the emptiedout landscape of the American Northwest, inhabited by ordinary people succumbing to economic desperation. Working with cinematographer Magnus Nordenhof Jønck (A WAR), he skillfully alternates between scenes of lyrical tenderness and harsh violence. At the center is Charlie Plummer, whose gentle, haunted performance makes LEAN ON PETE feel like an instant classic."
My Opinion
This movie pulled on my heart strings, too. What is with the horse movies this year? I don't know what to say about this film without revealing too many spoilers. This was a sad story, but beautiful, nonetheless. Overall: 4.5/5
The Darkest Hour
Telluride Synopsis
"This provocative new exploration from director Joe Wright (ATONEMENT) and screenwriter Anthony McCarten (THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING) follows the early days of Britain’s defiant battle against overwhelming Nazi German military force. Should Britain fight on? Or bend its knee in a humiliating surrender? The story starts as the newly appointed wartime Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, who was viewed by many—including some of his own closest advisors—as a senile, drunken warmonger, tries to hammer out a course of action that’s best for England. As Churchill, Gary Oldman elegantly whipsaws between humor, rage, despair, sentimentality and astonishing eloquence: the performance of a lifetime in a role that requires nothing less. Kristin Scott Thomas plays his strong-willed, long-suffering wife, Stephen Dillane his wily Parliamentary opponent, and Ben Mendelsohn, the conflicted King George VI. The slice of history they construct is both convincing and thrillingly entertaining."
My Opinion
The Darkest Hour is a historical reference, revealing the "behind-the-scenes" of Winston Churchill's involvement in WWII and parliament's skepticism. Towards the beginning of the film, I had a very hard time understanding Gary Oldman, but my interest in the story overcame that annoyance by the end, or maybe Oldman mumbled less. Either way, the film was good, and my suggestion would be to watch The Darkest Hour back-to-back with Dunkirk, a film released in theaters a couple of months ago. The stories align and complement one another, Dunkirk being the perspective of the soldiers, The Darkest Hour being the perspective of the government on the same issue. Overall: 4/5
Tuesday:
As we close out the 44th annual Telluride Film Festival, I feel a sense of sadness to leave such a strong, supportive community of film lovers and the beautiful mountains that overlook such as warm-hearted town. Yet, I feel accomplished. After attending 11 films and a series of Q&A's and conversations, I can adamantly say that I successfully attended a selection of unique films, and not one film was truly a disappointment - each served their purpose as entertainment through various plots, styles, and filmmaking techniques.
Over the next 7 hours, I headed back to the University of Colorado Boulder, stopping at Rifle Falls State Park along the way.
The following day I jumped back into my work, studying Film Production, with inspiration from some of the greatest filmmakers that gathered in Telluride and contributed to my film festival experience.