Michael Kress: January 2007 Archives

The only double award winner for drama at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival was James C. Strouse's powerful debut film, "Grace is Gone." John Cusack gives a remarkably restrained performance as Stanley Philips, a father of two girls, confronted by a shocking reality. Stanley's wife, Grace, dies serving as a soldier in Iraq. How and when should Stanley communicate such horrible and life changing news to his daughters? "Grace is Gone" presents a profound, de-politicized portrait of grief. It is about the human cost of war.

Unable to find words to express his pain, Stanley takes the girls on a road trip. The fun promised by "Enchanted Gardens" gives Stanley a tangible goal during a time of boundless confusion. The oldest daughter, Heidi, has difficulty sleeping, often wandering outside in the middle of the night. As 12-year-old Heidi, actress Shelan O'Keefe displays a wisdom and woundedness far beyond her age. Younger sister, 8-year-old Dawn, brings a bouncy enthusiasm to the family, despite missing her mother. Dawn synchronizes her watch with her mother, promising to think about each other at the same moment, every day. As Dawn, young thespian Gracie Bednarzyk combines humor and longing. Alessandro Nivola plays Stanley's irresponsible brother, a counterpoint to the unquestioning patriotism of Stanley.

The emotional heart of "Grace is Gone" resides in John Cusack's muted portrait of Stanley. Cusack alters his walk, his appearance, his entire persona to inhabit Stanley's decency and despair. The Weinstein Company purchased "Grace is Gone" at Sundance for $4 million and are already slating Cusack's performance to contend for next year's Academy Awards. It is that soul-achingly good.

Why did a star of Cusack's magnitude sign onto a modest, independent film directed by a novice director? During the post screening question and answer session, Cusack praised James C. Strouse's "restrained, economical, powerful piece of writing." "Grace is Gone" builds upon Strouse's laconic screenplay for the Sundance 2005 film, "Lonesome Jim." Strouse graces his Midwestern characters with moments of stillness, reflection, and familial love. From the girls fighting in the car to a father taking his daughters to get their ears pierced, "Grace is Gone" is loaded with precise and touching observations. Strouse quite appropriately won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting award.

Cusack called "Grace is Gone" "a big, small little movie." It is an important piece of work that cuts across our overly politicized era. Cusack noted our sense of helplessness surrounding the war in Iraq. He said, "We can get involved politically, we can pray or we can grieve." "Grace is Gone" is a film about grief. It puts a lump in your throat at the start of the film that never leaves.

"Grace is Gone" also won the Audience Award at Sundance for Best Drama. It is more cathartic than depressing. Audience members around me came prepared to cry, distributing Kleenex all around. I found myself reaching for a tissue, wishing that my tears could somehow bring peace to Iraq and the soldiers' home to their families. Afterwards, Cusack quoted Arthur Miller, suggesting, "An era is over when its illusions have been exhausted." "Grace is Gone" serves as both a wake and a wake up call. In poetically understated fashion, filmmaker James C. Strouse concluded, "I'm just trying to tell an honest story."

-- Posted by Craig Detweiler

Craig Detweiler is a screenwriter and co-author of "A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in Pop Culture."

Who would guess that the Sundance Film Festival would offer not one, but two compelling stories of life inside Russian Orthodox monasteries? "The Island" is a dark, foreboding, but ultimately transcendent film set on an icy Russian setting. "The Monastery: Mr. Vig and the Nun" is a Danish documentary filled with eccentric humor and profound beauty. I caught both films on the same packed day of Sundance screenings.

Director Pernille Rose Gronkjaer invested five years (and her own money) chronicling Mr. Vig's 50-year effort to transform his Danish castle into a monastery. A former Lutheran pastor, Mr. Vig wants "to create something enduring, something of quality." As a student of world religions, Mr. Vig had initially tried to establish a Buddhist monastery on his Hesbjerg estate. But when Sister Amvrosya and a team of Russian Orthodox nuns come to inspect the castle, it is out with the Thangkas, in with the Icons. This is the first of a series of comedic clashes between the monkish Mr. Vig and the determined Sister Amvrosya. Mr. Vig must fix the heater and repair the roof before the nuns will embrace Hesbjerg as their new home. The nuns bring a literal warmth to Vig's dilapidated castle.

As the story evolves, the filmmaker Pernille Rose Gronkjaer, also enters the drama, asking telling questions to Mr. Vig about his love life. He has practiced poverty and chastity, but clearly he struggles with obedience to rigors of the Orthodox Church. In an exclusive audio interview, Gronkjaer talked to students from the WindRider Forum about the fairy tale elements of the story.

With his imposing beard and furry hats, Mr. Vig looks like a character straight out of a Hans Christian Anderson story. The beauty of the Danish countryside is contrasted with the crumbling castle. Gronkjaer salutes the persistence of Mr. Vig and Sister Amvrosya as they overcome the elements and their personality clash to create a rare and humane love story. By the time Mother Amvosya leads Mr. Vig in a procession around the property, there wasn't a dry eye in the theater.

"The Island" (Russian title, "Ostrov") also follows a long procession, from cowardly acts in World War II, to profound moments of contemporary healing. Under pressure from the Nazis, a young sailor, Anatoli, shoots his ship captain, Tikhon. Washing ashore on a remote Russian island, Anatoli is rescued by Orthodox monks. Thirty years later, Anatoli has become a revered holy man, working out his salvation by digging coal and stoking fires for the monastery. Father Anatoli has become a source of prophecy, healing, and hope. Despite his spiritual power, Anatoli veers along the edge of madness, still haunted by his dark past. He walks "The Island," begging for forgiveness.

Building upon the celebrated legacy of Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky, filmmaker Pavel Lounguine has crafted a classic story of redemption. Anatoli pushes the Russian Orthodox priests to purge themselves of material goods and distractions. Lounguine comments upon post-communist Russia and its uncritical embrace of commerce. Anatoli also performs an exorcism with nothing but a simple prayer and the sign of the cross. It is a memorable moment of pure, transcendental cinema. But will Anatoli find rest for his weary soul? "The Island" offers haunting answers to his fervent prayers. Amidst a dark and dreary setting, "The Island" concludes with a symbol of eternal hope--a slow, dramatic fade to white.

--Posted by Craig Detweiler

Screenwriter Craig Detweiler directs the Reel Spirituality Institute (www.reelspirituality.org) at Fuller Seminary.

The fake controversy surrounding Dakota Fanning's new film, "Hounddog"--in which the child actress plays a victim of abuse who, in one much-discussed scene, is raped--demonstrates the unfortunate and continuing power of a press release. Political activists on both sides of the aisle have learned that well-timed (and unsubstantiated) accusations can be an effective fundraising tool with their constituencies. Such calculated (and often groundless) attacks demonstrate why celebrities are so dependent upon publicists to navigate volatile and tiresome cultural wars.

In feigning concern over Dakota Fanning's on-set abuse, those who shined a spotlight upon "Hound Dog" stirred up substantial interest in the small, Southern gothic film. Tickets for the premiere became hard to acquire. Accusations flew across newspapers and the Internet. But the few who were able to squeeze into the packed theater reported that the rape scene in question was handled with restraint. Moreover, film critics considered the film itself a fairly unoriginal revisiting of trailer trash stereotypes. The end result: much ado about fairly little.

Overlooked at Sundance amidst the pseudo-event were transcendent dramas about children threatened by genuine dangers. "Trade" focuses upon human trafficking, particularly upon children sold into sexual slavery. "Ezra," "The Devil Came on Horseback," and "War Dance" deal with civil wars in Africa, where kids are all too often abducted and turned into soldiers. "Ezra" reports from Sierra Leone and "The Devil Came on Horseback" follows the transformation of a soldier into an activist in Darfur.

"War Dance" documents the dire situation facing war refugees in Northern Uganda. Over two million members of the Acholi tribe have been exiled from their homelands because of the ill-named Lord's Resistance Army. "War Dance" follows the stories of three children amidst the 60,000 refugees gathered at a "displacement camp." It is set against the backdrop of a national music competition, where war orphans from Patongo Primary School hope to compete. Produced by Shine Global to raise awareness and funds for the refugees, "War Dance" celebrates the power of music and dance to overcome the most overwhelming conditions.

For "War Dance," the husband and wife team of Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine won the award for best documentary directing at Sundance. Jeff Consiglio's editing juxtaposes the horrors of war with the lush colors of the African bush. The sounds and images are beautiful and haunting. The camera also serves as a confessional for three children, a safe place to reveal the painful realities they witnessed.

We see the prayers of Nancy, as she takes on the role of mother to her brothers and sisters. Dominic wants to grow into Uganda's finest xylophone player. Rose suffers under the hand of her aunt, pining for her mother and her old life. Despite their devastating circumstances, the children practice and perform the traditional Bwola dance with profound hope and joy.

"War Dance" reminds us where the religious leaders who claim to care about children should focus their efforts. It is the real story emerging from Sundance that the press needs to follow. Thankfully, Think Film has plans to release "War Dance" in theaters, making it an early contender for next year's Oscars. The movie going public will ultimately decide which films and stories to dignify.

For more info about War Dance or how to support children in Patongo, Uganda, go to www.shineglobal.org.

-- Posted by Craig Detweiler

Craig Detweiler works for the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology and the Arts (www.brehmcenter.org) at Fuller Theological Seminary.

Don't mistake "Eagle vs. Shark" for your average love story. This "romantic comedy turned on its head" by New Zealand director Taiko Waititi was one of the most talked-about premieres at Sundance. I heard at a previous screening someone called it "the best movie ever made." When I arrived at the line early, the waiting list for stand-by admission was already sold out. At the opening shot, before anything really funny even happened, half the audience was already laughing out loud.

Think "Napoleon Dynamite" meets "Pride and Prejudice" with a dash of "Monty Python" and "Homestar Runner." She is a shy but charming, guitar-playing underdog; he is a brooding, self-absorbed nerd at the top of the video gamers' social ladder. Imagine Mr. Darcy with taped-up glasses, martial arts T-shirts, and an old-school game console. But the resemblance to Jane Austen's famous couple ends there.

Instead of fluently witty banter, their interactions are rather awkward. The premise of two geeks clumsily falling in love was the film's selling point, but what makes "Eagle vs. Shark" great are the layers within it. What Lily and Jarrod are unable to articulate in words arrives via subtext and symbolism. They express themselves through their favorite animals--Jarrod is the eagle and Lily is the shark--reflecting their different personalities (perhaps a reference to "air" and "water" in ancient temperament theories).

Jarrod (Jemaine Clement) has his head in the clouds and an ax to grind. He is so hung up on a grudge with the old classmate who used to beat him up that he forgets what he has in front of him. Lily (Loren Horsley) is not the aggressive extroverted personality one would associate with a shark, but in her own quiet way she is determined to catch Jarrod, and her piercing eyes express much more than she is able to say.

At the heart of "Eagle vs. Shark" resides the desire for love and acceptance. Jarrod has a tense relationship with his family and exaggerates Lily's accomplishments in an unnecessary effort to get them to like her. He makes himself feel good about his catch. He also feels like his past defines him, and he gets preoccupied (hilariously) preparing for a "duel" to defend his "honor." Lily also wants acceptance. In one image, she feels the weight of staggering rejection. Later, the same image results in sudden popularity.

A stop-motion subplot carries the symbolism further. Wistful colors and beautiful shots of New Zealand are mixed with abstract imagery and computer technology of questionable age. As in the breakout Sundance hit, "Napoleon Dynamite," it is hard to tell when "Eagle vs. Shark" takes place... but you're laughing so much you don't care.

"Eagle vs. Shark" is unlike any other romantic comedy I've seen. It already scored a distribution deal with Miramax and is slated for a summer release. I can see the Hot Topic merchandise already. But don't mistake this for mindless entertainment. While "Eagle vs. Shark" may not inspire late-night coffee shop conversations on social justice, it still hits close to home regarding human nature. This New Zealand comedy inspires laughter--and even healing.


-- Posted by Rachelle Klemme

Rachelle Klemme is a film major at Biola University (www.mcom.biola.edu) in La Mirada, California.

I finally saw "The Aristocrats" this weekend, and will refrain from adding--at this late date--to the reams of commentary on this documentary about the telling and retelling of a single, legendary, vile joke by professional comedians. In a completely unrelated aside, however, Robin Williams did offer this gem, which may be old news for lots of people, but I'd never heard it:

A rabbi walks into a bar with a frog on his shoulder. The bartender says, "Where'd you get that?" The frog answers, "Brooklyn. There are hundreds of them there."

Brilliant.

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Are the "American Idol" judges mean--and getting meaner by the season--or should contestants' family and friends be more honest in advising them to stay off national TV? Our bloggers Ellen Leventry and Dena Ross debate this very topic, but what...

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How do you bring a little fun back into fundamentalism? By making a sitcom, as Zarqa Nawaz is fond of saying.Nawaz is the creator of the new Canadian TV series "Little Mosque on the Prairie." The show debuted Jan. 9...

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Edgy, independent, artsy. Over the past 25 years, the Sundance Film Festival has become the place to discover new talent and launch original films. From first-time filmmakers searching for their big break to established stars seeking "indie" credibility, thousands of...

No, it's not a joke. The CBC--a major Canadian broadcasting network--premieres a long awaited, much talked about new television series called "Little Mosque on the Prairie," tonight at 8:30pm. And, it's a sitcom! That's right--a comedy about being Muslim and...

A clip from a new documentary about the Lost Boys of Sudan, some of whom came to America:...