Wilby Wonderful

Director:  Daniel MacIvor
Length: 99 min.
Released: 2004

  

Quirky towns always make popular settings for films.  Wilby Wonderful follows a group of characters and interwoven characters through a single somewhat ordinary day.  Wilby is a small town, on a little island where residents view anyone not born and raised on the island as a foreigner.  The story is set in Canada, but the conflicts within the film are so universal that it could take place anywhere.  Canadian actors populate the film, and a few who have become very famous in the US (Sandra Oh and Ellen Page).  As in many stories, each character evolves over the day and becomes a better and more whole member of the community.  The well-written screenplay brings Wilby to life, and even though the entire film takes place in only one day, we have lived something with the characters.  Wilby Wonderful challenges its characters to move beyond themselves in order find their place and purpose within the community.  The fact that the title sounds like "we'll be wonderful" is another fringe benefit of an already good title, presented in the film as a banner for an upcoming town festival which was printed backwards.  Quirky music fills the soundtrack.  Wilby Wonderful is a gem.  

Black Swan

Director:  Darren Aronofsky
Length: 108 min.
Released: 2010

Darren Aronofsky's latest film received much critical acclaim.  Aronofsky seems to enjoy exploring the human psyche.  In Black Swan, he concentrates on the world of classical ballet, and the competition within a company for lead and principal roles.

Natalie Portman plays Nina, a young ballet dancer who has worked her way up in the ranks of a professional company in a large metropolitan city.  She lives with her mother (played by Barbara Hershey), who pushes to make sure her daughter gets to be the professional dancer she herself was unable to be.  Nina struggles to emerge from under the wing of her overprotective mother.  The directory of the company (played by French actor Vincent Cassel) wants her to play the Swan Queen in Swan Lake, which will require her to play both the white swan (innocent and beautiful), and the black swan (mysterious and passionate).  To secure the coveted role, Nina begins a dark path of exploration, but starts to lose her footing.  Portman plays the lead role

A dancer brought in from San Francisco (played by Mila Kunis) provides added pressure and competition.  She seems to possess all the required characteristics needed for the Swan Queen role, which Nina views as a direct threat.  Kunis' plays her character as both friendly and menacing, keeping the viewer guessing.  Winona Ryder has a small part as the former prima ballerina displaced in favor of younger, more agile dancers, despite her own youth.  Nina's empathy for her situation foreshadows her own turn in the same position.

Aronofsky slowly blurs the lines separating reality from imagined sequences, and at the end we are left questioning what was real and what was not.  The film is certainly a psychological thriller, but is not a "psycho-sexual thriller", the way some critics claim.  

Aronofsky shows the world within a professional dance company as cold and fickle as the winter wind.    Despite their immense strength, the ease with which dancers can injure themselves and their vulnerability to scrutiny reveals an underlying general frailty of being human.  The catty competitiveness between the young female dancers reduces their abilities to support one another as a family.  Just as the line is blurred between reality and delusion, so too is the line between friend and enemy.

Aronofsky drives his film like a roller-coaster, with twists and lurches along the way.  The actors convey their world with realism.  The use of black and white as the color palette throughout the film is very effective.  Strong patterns in black and white dominate the film.  There is only some pink in Nina's apartment (evoking purity).  The music conveys tension and propels the story forward.  Tchaikovsky's score to Swan Lake provides certain scenes with extra emotion.  (Although used for dramatic effect, the scene where Kunis eats a hamburger is unrealistic; dancers are unable to consume that much fat, especially during a performance season.  She only ate one bite, however this was not the message conveyed.)  

Like a true Grimm fairy tale, the film is dark but not morbid, and gripping but not scary.  There is no moral at the end, but no happily-ever-after ending either.  After several surprise twists, the film arrives at its conclusion, leaving the viewer with much to ponder.

Only When I Dance

Director: Beadie Finzi
Length: 78 min.
Released: 2009

This documentary from Brazil focuses on the lives of two young dancers from a dance academy in Rio de Janeiro.  Their mentor believes students from poorer families should also be able to participate in the traditionally upper-class-only world of classical ballet.  She does everything she can to acquire scholarships and funding for her students.  Dance could be their ticket out of poverty, and they all know it.  Their motivation to work hard keeps them practicing long hours every day.  The documentary follows two students, Irlan and Isabela, both highly-skilled dancers hoping to make ballet a successful career.  Their mentor helps coordinate the high cost of traveling abroad and makes sure their families are prepared and can provide what is needed.

The camera follows Irlan and Isabela, along with other students from their dance school to the All-Brazil ballet competition, in which 200 dancers from the entire country will be chosen to attend an international competition held in New York, where they will compete for spots in elite dance companies from around the world.  When Irlan is selected for a prestigious competition in Switzerland, he is escorted by the film crew.  

The documentary features candid interviews and conversations with Irlan and Isabela's families, and Irlan and Isabela share hopes and fears about the future.  Dance may take them away from home, which both thrills and worries them.  Life in other countries and cultures can be cold (as Irlan finds out in Switzerland, where he discovers snow) or unfriendly (as Isabela is told she does not conform to the ballet standard; white and thin).  Their families and their school provide strong support for them.  

The film conveys the dedication and sacrifice ballet dancers make for their art and their dreams.  The stress of a competitive selection process is difficult in any discipline, but dancers form a close-knit family, and hugs abound when things don't go as hoped.   

Several full-length dance scenes show the talent of both Irlan and Isabela.  Their emotion, grace and strength captivate even those with no knowledge of ballet.  They make their dancing look so effortless: Irlan leaps high and bares his soul, Isabela flows gracefully from one difficult pose to another.      

    

It's rewarding to see where Irlan and Isabela are now, to continue to track their success through dance.

There is a website for the film:  www.onlywhenidance.com  

Western

Director:  Manuel Poirier
Length: 124 min.
Released:  1997



Europeans have a fascination with the American West, but this film gets its title from Bretagne, a region in Northwest France where this film takes place.  The story centers around two characters, both foreigners.  Paco is a Catalan in France on a business trip as a shoe representative, and Nino is a Russian hitchhiking his way around Europe.  Paco's initial goodwill to help Nino causes him nothing but problems, when he loses everything: his car, his wares. even his job.  But being stuck in a small French village has its upsides, as he meets a beautiful woman willing to help him.  Finding Nino, and restoring his life again become his highest priority, but he begins to change his opinion of Nino.

As catastrophes continue to cause Paco grief, he begins to adopt some of Nico's carefree nature.  Losing everything multiple times forms a bond between the two, who become friends.  In one of his first roles,   Sergi Lopez often plays villains, but he shows he's a more well-rounded actor with his portrayal of Paco.  French director Manuel Poirier has used him in several of his films, always playing a lost Spaniard in France.  Sacha Bourdo, a Russian-born actor popular in many French films, shows Nino is an intelligent and thoughtful individual, more a wandering philosopher than a vagrant gypsy.  

Western uses its foreign characters to tell a multicultural story, but it is not about the difficulties of being a stranger in a strange land.  Its characters reveal and challenge cultural stereotypes, and engage in real discussions about life and modern society.  The characters grow on each other, and we grow with them.

Western is charming.  It seems to say with a sense of humor you will get through anything, and live better.  The film won the Jury prize at the Cannes film festival.    

The Motorcycle Diaries

Original Title:  Diarios de motocicleta
Director:  Walter Salles
Released:  2004
Length: 126 min.

The Motorcycle Diaries depicts the journey Ernesto "Che" Guevara and his best friend Alberto Granada took by motorcycle from Argentina to Venezuela in 1952 and is based on books written by both Che and Granada.

Gael Garcia Bernal as Che and Rodrigo de la Serna as Alberto perfectly capture the innocence, enthusiasm, brashness and idealism of youth.  The fact that the moto is old and that they lack money forces them to stop frequently, and their encounters with people from many different backgrounds introduces them to prejudice and injustice in many forms.  It was this journey that determined the future paths of Ernesto and Alberto;  Alberto to improve medicinal treatment in poor areas, and Ernesto to instigate social and political change throughout South America.

Walter Salle perfectly captures the natural beauty and cultural diversity of South America.  Gustavo Santaoallalo's guitar solos in the score complement the film well, as a guitar often provides nice accompaniment on a long journey.

The Motorcycle Diaries is part travelogue, part adventure, and part documentary.  It portrays the humor between two close friends exploring together, and the escapades they encounter on a road trip.

The Straight Story

Director:  David Lynch
Length: 112 min.
Released:  1999

No two David Lynch films can be compared directly, and The Straight Story is no exception.  Based on a real story, The Straight Story follows a Midwestern farmer from Iowa to visit his ill brother in Wisconsin on his only available means of transportation: a John Deere tractor.  Lynch brings

Lynch shows more than tells, letting the events unfold without obvious manipulation by a film director.  Richard Farnsworth plays Alvin Straight, and Sissy Spacek his daughter Rose.  It's still amazing that Farnsworth only began acting in his later years, after spending most of his career as a film stuntman.  This was Farnworth's last film, a poignant reminder of the film's message.

The film's slow pace perfectly accompanies a tractor's pace, capturing the scenery and pride of the rural Midwest, driving past farms and through small towns.  The soundtrack's slow waltzes and fiddle solos provide a beautiful accompaniment, reminiscent of distant trains, both melancholic and joyful.  This is not a road trip to blast the speakers and broadcast the freedom of the open road; it's a contemplative journey to sort out your thoughts and ponder what's most important in life.

Paper Moon

Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Released: 1973
Length:

There's something about films in black and white that seems to make them ageless.  Paper Moon was made nearly forty years ago, yet if you saw it today for the first time you'd never guess it.  

Director Peter Bogdanovich perfectly captures the relationship between both main characters, and their verbal exchanges sound impromptu.  Parentage is frequently suggested, but the issue is always skirted.  In the end it doesn't really matter; to the outside world he's her father, and she's ok with it.

Ryan O'Neal and his daughter Tatum portray the same issues of conflict they later struggled with in real life.  

Tatum played her character with such poise and sophistication that she won an Oscar (Best Supporting Actress), even though it was her first film.  She sets the record for youngest person to win an Oscar (she was ten).  

Easy Rider

Director: Dennis Hopper
Released: 1969
Length: 95 min.

What began as revolutionary filmmaking exploring the freedoms of the counter culture has now become the mainstream image of modern road culture. Over the decades, Easy Rider has become reduced to a song (Born to Be Wild) and an image (two chopped motorcycles).    

Dennis Hopper's and Peter Fonda's characters embark on a motorcycle journey across the Southern United States, eventually winding up in New Orleans for Mardi Gras.  Their encounters with people living under the radar present philosophical questions for the mainstream public without preaching.  Potentially offensive aspects of counter culture life confront the viewer directly, almost provoking conflict, yet maintaining a distance.  As the main characters wind their way across the country, they almost seem nostalgic about their journey, almost seem to know this may be their last.

The film opened at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1969 prior to its release two weeks later in the US.  It was made on a very low budget, without much crew, and had tremendous success throughout the world.

Easy Rider marks the end of an era (it was made in 1969); most profoundly by its somewhat bombastic conclusion.  It juxtaposes youthful idealism with apathy, foreshadowing the decades to come, when drugs would be harder, the counter culture more dangerous, and everyone less carefree.  It doesn't question the price of freedom, it throws it in our faces.  

Little Miss Sunshine

Director: Jonathan Dayton
Length:
Released: 2006

When first introduced, the mix of characters in Little Miss Sunshine barely function as a family.  A surprise win in a beauty contest throws everyone off guard, suddenly requiring them to drop everything, cancel all plans, and transport their little girl to the pageant (the source of the film's title).  Everyone has an opinion on her participation, but despite contrasting philosophies, ideals and morals, the family develops a crazed commitment to arrive in time for the pageant.

As in any good road trip, it's the adventures along the way that make the story worth telling.  Anyone with a VW bus knows its limitations, and the journey from New Mexico to southern California becomes an odyssey with its moments of comedy and tragedy.  The yellow bus almost seems to smile as it avenges the constant need for speed in the modern world, lamenting the bygone era of travel at a slower pace.

The rich selection of actors in atypical roles demonstrate additional dimensions of their abilities.  Young Paul Dano's reticent teenager, committed to a vow of silence, speaks only through words on his t-shirts and a notepad until halfway through the film, when he releases all his bottled-up emotions.  Abigail Breslin plays his sister, the young heroine determined to follow her dreams, unaware of how they may look to the rest of the world.  Toni Collette and  Greg Kinnear play their parents, trying to hold the family together, which includes Steve Carrell (proving he's more than a comedian) as an uncle recently released on parole, and Alan Arkin (who won an Oscar) as the grandfather, the most supportive of his granddaughter's interest in the pageant).  

The unanticipated road trip throws everyone's personalities, fears and quirks in a confined space.  The family learns to accept and appreciate what each person contributes, and ironically it is their most naïve member who proves wisest, pursuing her own path rather than be led by others (as they all initially assume).

Little Miss Sunshine makes you laugh, cheer, and even cry.  Even the most dysfunctional families have a bond, and this film lets its characters explore their differences before bringing them back together.
Their collective values are manifested in their little girl's dance at the beauty pageant.  The absurdity of their presence is overruled by pride for her individuality, and their shared adventures draw them together as a family once again.

The way this small film became a sensational hit is the type of Cinderella story that keeps indie filmmakers pursuing their dreams.  Little Miss Sunshine won hearts, awards, and success at the box office.  Michael Arndt won an Oscar for his original screenplay, initially written in three days.  Alan Arkin won an Oscar, and Abigail Breslin was nominated.

Official website

Smoke Signals

Director:  Chris Eyre
Length:  89 min.
Released:  1998

Not very many films portray life as a Native American from an Indian perspective, and few take place in modern day.  Smoke Signals is a rare gem, because it is not a film about Indians but about life, about trying to figure out who you are and whether to be proud of or humiliated by your past.

The story centers on the relationship between Victor and Thomas, best friends on the reservation where they live in Eastern Washington.  Thomas is a natural-born storyteller, and Evan Adam's narrative style and voice fluctuations are captivating.  Adam Beach is a familiar face, and he does an excellent job conveying Victor's angst.  

Thomas is an orphan raised by his grandmother who views Victor's father as a hero.  Victor only sees the alcoholism, abuse and eventual abandonment when his father left.  Thomas convinces Victor to travel south to Arizona and find him again, and the two embark on a road trip adventure to salvage the relationship before it's too late.

Victor and Thomas perceive themselves differently, a thread which carries throughout the film.
Victor instructs Thomas how to conform to expectations of what it means to be "Indian".  Smiling Thomas with glasses is not the stoic Indian Victor thinks one must be.  Other potential sources of conflict are met with humor, and told from a perspective of a generation far removed from the emotional and physical attachment once felt.  This direct confrontation of stereotypes points out their inaccuracies, relieves tension and moves the characters beyond the token status minorities usually receive.

As road trip films often do, it's more about the journey than the destination, and along the way Victor finds peace with himself and his father.  Thomas also discovers his place in the world.  Smoke Signals is funny, poignant, and informative.  It won many awards at independent film festivals.

The woman on the poster is a minor character, and I find it unfortunate that a film about two young men feels the necessity to show a female just to garner sex appeal.  I wish we could see Evan Adam's "frybread power" t-shirt more clearly.

Director Chris Eyre (himself a member of the Cheyenne/Arapaho nation) collaborated with Sherman Alexie (a highly regarded poet, essayist, and public speaker who grew up on an Indian reservation in Eastern Washington state) to turn one of Alexie's short stories into a film.  (Alexie's following project was his directorial debut, The Business of Fancydancing, based on a collection of his poetry, also about modern Indians in Washington.)

Top 5 Films About...Birthdays

In the spirit of High Fidelity and the main character's obsession with Top 5 lists, I have decided to compile some lists of films by category.  Five is a good limit, because it makes you choose your favorites, and sometimes there aren't that many on the subject.  Look for the lists to appear at various times throughout the year...    

I'll begin with birthdays, because today is mine.

TOP 5 FILMS ABOUT BIRTHDAYS
1.  Sixteen Candles
2.  13 Going on 30
3.  Logan's Run
4.  To Gillian on her 37th Birthday
5.  The Great Gatsby
 
The theme here seems to be "forgetting birthdays", because they seem to all have to do with characters forgetting about someone's birthday.

Contribute your list!  (Remember, only five!)

High Fidelity

Director: Stephen Frears
Length: 113 min. 
Released: 2000

High Fidelity is a trip down memory lane for those nostalgic about lost love, record collections, and the freedom of not working a desk job.  


John Cusack seems to fall into characters unsure whether to stay put or run away.  His character in High Fidelity views life in terms of music, and supports his massive record collection by running an independent record store.  His two employees are played by Jack Black and Todd Louiso.  Black plays his snobbish character with so much enthusiasm you accept him as being simply eccentric, but it's Louiso's understated charm which gets him the girlfriend and the great one-liners.     


The film introduced many people to Nick Hornby, the English author who wrote the book on which the film is based.  Cusack, originally from Chicago, moved the story from London suburbs to more familiar ground outside Chicago.  Some of the English musical references have been changed for an American audience, but relationship troubles are universal, and the rest of the story is intact.  Hornby's own appreciation for music  and his characters use music as their form of communication,  examines life from a musical perspective, and his characters use music to interact with other people in their lives.  The soundtrack is a sampling of rock and indie bands both old and new, the type of selection you would expect to hear playing in an independent record shop.  Mirroring the plot, these songs of frustration, confusion and attempts at love express the characters' emotions better than they can.  


As in many Cusack films, his sister Joan and Lili Taylor coax him through his relationship foibles, along with the past women in his life, played by such actresses as Catherine Zeta-Jones and Lisa Bonet (best-known for her role on The Cosby Show).  Tim Robbins makes an appearance as an egocentric in a different type of role for him.  


High Fidelity should be viewed as a time capsule of sorts, as it captures an earlier moment in time.  Less and less people physically go to small independent music stores to buy their music, few buy actual records, many don't the sound quality difference, and the new generation doesn't know them at all.  But in high contrast to the proliferation of cheap digital media, people are still interested in vinyl, and they continue to have their popularity, albeit cultish.  And isn't that some sort of success anyway? 

Everything is Illuminated

Director: Liev Schreiber
Length: 106 min.
Released: 2005

Everything is Illuminated takes place in Ukraine, one of the former Eastern Bloc countries now poor, but independent.  When the Soviet Union fell apart, Ukrainians threw off the heavy cloak of communism in order to embrace capitalism, and many of its citizens try to make money however possible.  One such way is to guide Americans making nostalgic trips back to the mother country to see how previous generations lived.

The film was adapted from the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer.  Foer studied philosphy and traveled to Ukraine to learn more about his grandfather, a Holocaust survivor.  The subject for his college thesis later became his first novel, Everything is Illuminated.  The actor Liev Schreiber wrote the screen adaptation and directed the film.  (Although Schreiber is American, he is of mixed Central-European heritage, and his maternal grandfather was from Ukraine, just like Foer.)    

Foer is played by Elijah Wood, who goes to Ukraine to unveil a mystery about his grandfather.  His collecting habits and quirks provide interesting encounters with the people he meets along his journey.
One of the most memorable characters is Alex (played by Eugene Hutz, frontman of the gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello), Foer's driver on his odyssey across the Ukrainian countryside.  Alex is part of the new generation embracing Western culture.  

Everything is Illuminated does not demand pity or anger for what has happened in the past. It is the story of one man's connection to his own family history.  The film becomes more and more surrealistic, as past events appear in dream-like sequences mix with present-day.

The score by Paul Cantelon is an excellent introduction to Eastern European music, and holds its own beyond the film.  It is especially interesting the way the theme is played many ways: with different instrumentation and different feels.  Independent films don't always produce a soundtrack, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it at my local library.  (To hear samples of the soundtrack, click here.)

An interesting sidenote about this film: PBS aired a documentary a few years ago about a young Iraqi man who received an internship from Liev Schreiber to work on Everything is Illuminated.  The documentary takes its own path, but gives an interesting perspective of the themes from Schreiber's film in a different context.  The documentary is called Operation Filmmaker and is done by Nina Davenport (who also made Parallel Lines).   

The Triplets of Belleville

Original Title: Les Triplettes de Belleville
Director: Sylvain Chomet
Length: 80 min.
Released: 2003

Sylvain Chomet has a unique eye.  His animation studio created a dynamic film both charming and critical of modern society at the same time.  Characters drawn with exaggerated features highlight their movements and personalities.  Chomet succeeds in telling a story with a full range of human emotions through two-dimensional characters, almost entirely without dialogue.  

The film's main story line centers around a grandmother, her grandson, and their dog.  Chomet, a devoted fan of bicycling, chose to make an homage to old-school bike racing.  His main character, named Champion, is drawn to resemble the famous French racer Jacques Anquetil, and he participates in the Tour de France.  He is kidnapped by the Mafia (drawn as large black blocks), who have their own uses for bike racers, and taken to Belleville.  His grandmother and dog set off on an adventure to rescue him.   

A set of three singing sisters make up the title of the film and are a sort of Greek chorus.  Music used in the film evokes jazz and swing, and was immensely popular (and nominated for an Academy Award).  Caricatures of popular musicians in France can be seen in several scenes.

Chomet has tried to make the film not set in any specific country, but it begins in France, and then crosses the Atlantic to Belleville, clearly a large North American city.  The film was produced as a collaboration between several countries (Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada), and Chomet seems to give them all a potential role in the film.

The Triplets of Belleville is charming, even in its sharp lines and sharp criticisms.  Bruno (the dog) has some of the best scenes, and the grandmother is everything a maternal figure should be.  Chomet has moved animated films beyond the realm of children's entertainment, and has made a work unique in genre and technique.  The film was also nominated for Best Animated Feature Film, but it lost to Finding Nemo.  (Tough competition: it's hardly fair to expect an innovative film to beat out a Disney/Pixar one).

Film Info

Meek's Cutoff

Director: Kelly Reichardt
Length: 104 min.
Released: 2010

Pioneers on the Oregon Trail traversed thousands of miles on foot, dreaming of a better life out West.  They often hired men with knowledge of the frontier to serve as guides and for protection.  These outdoor enthusiasts, mountain men, and outlaws had abandoned genteel society in order to be free and independent.  Their adventurous and thrill-seeking spirits contrasted with families, where the presence of women and children brought morals and social structures to new territories.

Meek's Cutoff tells the story of a small group on the Oregon Trail in 1845.  Their guide, Stephen Meek, leads the three-wagon train across dry, hot and sparse Eastern Oregon, telling them tales of his adventures in the Wild West.  His optimism and wilderness experience convince him and the others that water and the fertile Willamette Valley is within easy reach.  At that time, early in the westward movement, it was hard even for a guide to know the valley of their dreams lay hundreds of miles further west, and the Columbia River several hundred miles north.  


An encounter with an indian causes the group to question their leader and their own inner fears.  Relations between native tribes and whites were often based on experiences and stories of murder and raids on both sides.  Fear dictated behavior, and few people were aware of the diversity of tribes across North America.  Travel in stressful situations brings out true personalities, and misunderstandings and stereotypes led to a confrontation without resolution for the Meek party.  The film becomes a study in social nature and foreshadows changes in the American West.   

Panoramic scenic shots held for a long time are reminiscent of such David Lean films as Doctor Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia.  A pastel color scheme complements the characters with the world around them: beautiful, but desolate.  There are only a handful of characters, but each is memorable and plays an important role in this microcosm of society.  One of the more unique aspects of the film is its square frame, designed to represent the view from inside a woman's bonnet.  This is not a restrictive gimmick, but a thoughtful depiction of a confined viewpoint.  There are feminist overtones to the film, written by Jon Raymond and directed by Kelly Reichardt, whose previous films also explore themes of social behavior, two of which are also set in Oregon.     

The film is carefully detailed, and moves at a pace that brings you back to a different time.  Setting up camp, eating dinner in the dark, waking before dawn, walking all day and setting up a new camp clearly demonstrate the monotony of life on the trail.  It's a road movie told not with the enthusiasm of a journey's beginning, but with the hardened disillusion of being lost so near the destination.  Music used in the film is simplistic but evocative, typical of recent films set in the West.  Sound effects are natural and part of the scenery: a squeaky wagon wheel, birds hovering overhead, fabric rustling in the wind.  The ending leaves you wanting to know more about these people and their story. 

The Oregon Trail is frequently romanticized, but Meek's Cutoff depicts the reality of the journey so many people took.  Travel has become so simplified over the centuries, it's good to be reminded how difficult it used to be, when so much was up to chance.  The vast migration west may have been imperialistic, but we must still give the people who did it credit for their strength, courage and perseverance.  


Official Website

The Singing Revolution

Director: James Tusty, Maureen Castle Tusty

Length: 94 min. 

Released: 2007 

Most people haven't even heard of Estonia, and if they have they don't know much about it.  The small country (population: 1.34 million) is one of the Baltic States, along with Latvia and Lithuania, and is the northernmost of the three.  Just across the Baltic Sea lies Sweden and Finland, and to the east, Russia.

Like many countries in central and eastern Europe, Estonia was occupied first by the Nazis and later by the Soviets.  There was a brief period between World War I and II when they were fully independent.  In 1989, the Estonians began a peaceful revolution against their aggressors along with the Lithuanians and Latvians, which successfully freed them from occupation and led to the collapse of the U.S.S.R. in 1991.

Music has always been important in Estonia.  Pre-occupation, community music groups and festivals flourished.  Then, for decades, they were required to sing propagandist songs.  Finally, gathering at the summer music festival, a few people began to sing Estonian songs.  These demonstrations of national pride rallied all Estonians, and led to a complete revolution.  The story is amazing, and surprising in its success in the modern trigger-happy world.

Estonia is now one of the most prosperous countries from the Eastern Bloc.  It has been a member of the European Union since 2004 (with the euro), and places a strong emphasis on democracy, freedom and education.  Tallinn, the capital and largest city, has been named the European Capital of Culture for 2011.  If you are interested in visiting Estonia or want to learn more about upcoming musical events and festivals, visit the country's website:

Official website for the film

Paper Clips

Director: Elliot Berlin
Length: 82 min.
Released: 2004


Comprehending the scale of huge numbers is difficult for anyone.  When students at Whitwell Middle School in Tennessee were told during a unit on the Holocaust that six million people perished, students had trouble visualizing that quantity.  They were shown pictures of shoes piled up, representing lives lost.  Someone suggested gathering six million objects to best understand what six million of anything looks like, and the classes decided to use paper clips.  A small object, ordinary, but symbolic

They embarked on their project, seemingly simple.  Students brought in paper clips, and teachers turned aspects of it into academic tasks.  Waves of students over several years participated in "The Holocaust Project", as the boxes piled up and filled rooms at the school.  People sent paper clips in the mail with letters attached telling their personal stories.  Their paper clips represented real people, and the project was a chance to honor them.

This documentary takes you to the heart of Whitwell: its teachers, its students, its residents.  Rural Tennessee doesn't get much national coverage, but Whitwell became familiar to many from its request for paper clips.  It's great to see a project bring students and the community together to learn history.

When the six million paper clips were all present and accounted for, the need arose for a fitting memorial to store them.  (The final count was actually 11 million, which included children.)  The solution was a boxcar which had actually transported prisoners to camps, abandoned and for sale in Germany.  Funds were donated, journalists came, and a documentary was made.  The boxcar was carefully transported to sit permanently in Whitwell.  The Children's Holocaust Memorial is now a museum, and Whitwell students lead tours to students from Tennessee and other states.  What a powerful way to make learning real.

Parallel Lines

Director: Nina Davenport

Length: 98 minutes 
Released: 2004

Nina Davenport, a New Yorker displaced to California for work, finds herself homesick and deeply saddened on September 11, 2001.  Several months later, when it is time to return to New York, she decides not to fly, but instead to drive.  As she’s a filmmaker, she decides to document the journey with her videocamera strapped to various parts of her rental car. 

Her adventure takes her across the southern United States during the three-week window she has before she must be in New York.  Her inquisitive nature makes her stop anyone she comes across to ask questions and opinions.  Her lack of enthusiasm to get home encourages her to follow small roads and intriguing signs, which leads to an 8000-mile journey.  The initial premise is to document reactions to the terrorist attacks, but she discovers that New York is a distant place from small town America, and everyone has a story of hardship and sacrifice.      

Davenport uses post-production voice-over to tell her story and narrate her emotions and concerns.  Her camera becomes her fellow passenger, strapped onto the seat beside her, on the dashboard and even on the roof of her car (which causes a problem in Washington, D.C., in the new, post-9/11 world of heightened security).    

One of Davenport’s major concerns throughout the film is the new view from her apartment window in New York, now void of the twin towers.  Through listening to other people’s stories, she begins the process towards acceptance.  When she does arrive back home, she carries with her an invisible support group.  

Not everyone has Davenport’s persistence, but we are all rewarded because of her efforts.  The film is thoroughly captivating: you feel part of the journey.  You know neither you nor Davenport will ever likely see the people she met again, which makes the encounters all the more bittersweet and profound.  The people presented in the film may not have an emotional attachment to New York, but they represent what it means to be American, which is what Davenport realized was the true story she wanted to tell and needed to hear herself.  

The film was shown at a range of festivals throughout the world.
(Click here for the complete list.)

Elizabethtown

Director: Cameron Crowe

Length: 123 min.
Released: 2005

It doesn't get much better than Cameron Crowe.  With his latest creation, Elizabethtown, everything's there: comedy, drama, a road trip, family values and feuds, satire, and music.  Unfortunately, the box office didn't reflect this total package, but when has that ever happened to Crowe?  The public, it appears, has yet to appreciate his prowess.  His love of music means there's a perfect song for every moment of the film.  Luckily for us (few) fans, he decided to produce a truly memorable two volume soundtrack, despite the film's lackluster success.  Tom Petty has a prominent place, as he always does in Crowe films, as well as Crowe's wife, Nancy Wilson, who provides several of the themes.
  

 Soundtrack, Vol. 1 

Soundtrack, Vol. II                                                                     

Orlando Bloom does an excellent job with an American accent, and Kirsten Dunst is adorable in her role.  Both characters could be shallow, but Crowe gives them depth and lets the actors breathe life into them.  It's nice to dig beneath the surface and learn about these characters who would be lost on the outskirts in real life or in another movie.  Strong supporting actors inhabit Crowe's Elizabethtown (including Susan Sarandon),  and they each provide humor, drama and wit.  There's true character development; even the minor ones stay with you.  By the end, you've laughed, cried, and grown with everyone in the film.  You almost forget you're being told a story:  you're just part of the crowd, someone else at the party. 

Elizabethtown is another Cameron Crowe masterpiece that perfectly captures small-town America and the difficulties of family.  A must-see for anyone.