Category: Film

There were many versions of this article. When I began writing about one aspect of this film and thought I was certain, the thought redefined itself, and I found myself rewriting. And yet it happened again, and again…

The 2004 Sundance Film Festival marked a huge year for independent film. It was a year that saw the premieres of Saw, Garden State, Super-Size Me, Napoleon Dynamite, among other notable titles. And yet, the winner that year came out from nowhere. A film with a budget of $7,000 about two amateur scientists who accidently invent time travel, which 80% of takes place in a garage, was the film that took the top prize. It was awarded to a 30ish year old former software engineer, Shane Carruth, who later admitted that he didn’t even plan on attending the closing ceremony that year. It was a year that began to show the increasing accessibility to resources young filmmakers now had, and Primer was the film that celebrated the true spirit of independent film. You can only imagine how giddy they were upon accepting the award.

Alexander Payne has always had a fruitful eye toward action and reaction. His characters embody a lust for what they might miss in their lives, or might be missing already. From About Schmidt to his latest project Downsizing, all of his characters find themselves at a crossroads or a sea change in their lives, afraid to take any steps in any direction.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock these past couple weeks, you might’ve heard about a little movie starring Jennifer Lawrence that just came out in theaters. You’ve also might’ve heard a little bit about the film. And if you did, you probably heard that it received an F rating from Cinemascore, and how divisive it was, or how “bad” it was. Nonetheless, you were brought into a circle of conversation about a film that has polarized audiences around the world, and you may not have realized how special of an opportunity it is when a film like this comes around.

I remember when I first watched Heaven Knows What, I had never heard of the Safdie Bros. before (despite having known of their previous effort Daddy Longlegs), and yet this film was making its way to the top of many year-end lists. So naturally, when I found myself in New York, it behooved me to check it out. There were no screenings around, however (and if there were they must have flown under my radar), so as a result, I was forced to look it up somewhere online, because I was just so damn curious (Fortunately, now it’s on Netflix).