Milwaukee Film Festival 2014: The Surface

The closing night film at the Mikwaukee Film Festival was The Surface. It was a fitting movie because it was filmed entiry in and around Milwaukee. It employed a lot of the local film community as part of the crew. Not to mention that screenwriter Jeff Gendelman is from Milwaukee. So, what better place to have the world premiere then right here at the Milwaukee Film Festival.

The Surface is about a man Mitch (Sean Astin) who feels like everything in his life is going wrong. He takes his dad's boat out into the middle of Lake Michigan to end his life. But before he can do anything he comes across a crashed plane with the pilot Kelly (Chris Mulkey) still alive. After Mitch rescues Kelly and the two are now stranded in Mitch's boat, because when Mitch hit the plane wreckage it broke the boats prop. Their relationship is strained at first. Kelly doesn't trust Mitch and both of them have secrets. But as time goes on and their chances of being rescued diminish the two realize they need each other.

There is so much that could have gone wrong with this movie. It's about two guys stuck in the middle of a lake. It could have been boring, could have been shaky and made people sea sick, or the two leads could have had no chemistry. But luckily the movie defied the odds. Everything works.

Gendelman who worked on the script for over 10 years fined tuned it so it was bare bones and had just the right amount of dialogue and reveals. It could have easily turned into a boring movie about two people talking to each other. But instead it managed to keep the tension while these two guys figure each other out. The cinematography is also spot on. It really adds to the feeling of isolation and disorientation. The lake looks beautiful as does the Milwaukee skyline. A lot of work was put into getting the best shots on the lake and it shows. That brings us to the cast. Sean and Chris do an incredible job. And based on what they said at the Q&A it was under some pretty harsh circumstances. Their chemistry is great. Each of them plays off the other one perfectly. It's so much fun to watch the two of them.

It is the themes that the movie brings up that makes the whole thing stand out. I don't want to give away any of the reveals but the movie is mostly about depression and needing a reason to live. This is the second movie I saw at the festival that handled depression well (The Other One also had themes of depression).  Here we get to see a man so desperate he wants to kill himself but hasn't had any success and something has always thwarted it. But now he meets a man who only wants to live and he is forced to reevaluate his life. The movie captures that feeling of confusion and desperation and we get to see his transformation. 

Overall 5/5 – The movie is visually stunning and emotionally engrossing.  It is definitely one to see.  There was a little subplot about a bag of money that was a little anticlimactic but didn’t take anything away from the overall movie. 

Milwaukee Film Festival 2014: The Tribe

It's hard to determine what a movie will be like based on a description in a festival program book.   But when it says it will be in Ukrainian sign language with no subtitles then you know you will be seeing something truly original.

The Tribe takes place at a deaf school where the new kid is taken in by a gang. After going through some initiation rituals he becomes a full member of the gang. This gang is part of a lot of illegal activities. They randomly beat people up and steal their liquor, they go on trains and try to steal from people, and they run a prostitution ring with a couple of the girls from the school. After the guy that pimps the girls out at a local truck stop is tragically killed the new guy replaced him. But he starts to fall in love with one of the girls and things start to fall apart for him.

Well my description of the movie is the best I can piece together from what figured out and talking to other people. With no subtitles and no music it was hard to determine what was going on.  At one point in the movie the two girls get into a fight and start arguing in sign language. I was never able to figure out what they were arguing about. 

Besides the lack of talking and sound the other issue I had was a lot of scenes felt like they went on too long and desensitized. If you are not going to have sound you better make sure you keep us interested with the action. Instead we get incredibly long takes of people walking and even the sex scenes seemed to go on too long. The camera was always a distance away and everything felt emotionless. It was hard to care for any of the characters.  Even when one of them died tragically it was treated very coldly. 

The one exception to that is the abortion scene. I don't want to go into too much detail but it was disturbing and cringe worthy. It was the one seen that really had an impact. 

While there was a lot I didn't like about the movie (and I didn't even talk about the poorly choreographed fight scene) I admire it for being brave enough to do something different. That is what I love about film festivals. You get to see all kinds of movie that you normally wouldn't see. This is a movie unlike anything you have ever seen or will ever see. 

Overall: 3/5 a very original and interesting movie but doesn't entirely work. Worth watching for the curiosity factor But if you do watch it make sure you are wide awake because the lack of sound and extremely long takes might put you to sleep. 

Like this guy who was still sleeping after the movie ended. 

Guess he found the movie boring

Milwaukee Film Festival 2014: Expedition to the End of the World

The documentary Expedition to the End of the World is a beautifully shot movie.  It is an interesting movie that takes us to part of the world that no one has seen. 

As the fjords in Greenland melt a new part of the ocean has opened up. A group of artists and scientists set out to explore this part of the world that no one has ever seen before. As they travel on the ship their eclectic personalities cone out. Their is a lot of philosophizing along with new discoveries. 

The appeal of this film is the cinematography and the scenery. The movie looks amazing. If you loved nature documentaries like "Winged Migration" and "Microcosmos" you will love this one.  But along with the scenery there is the group of people that adds another level to the movie. There is talk about the meaning of life, what it means to be an artist, and stories about being attacked by a polar bear. 

My biggest fear going into this movie was that it would be another doc about global warming. While that is an important topic I just didn't feel like sitting through another movie like that. Luckily this movie isn't about global warming. The scientists do talk about it and what it means for the future of the world it doesn't linger on it too long. And it is unavoidable to not think that without global warming their whole trip would not be possible. But while it is always there and in the back of your mind the movie focuses on exploration and the fascinating people on the trip.  

Overall: 3/5 Good movie but does get a bit dull at times and found myself losing interest at parts.  But worth checking out for the beautiful scenery.  

Milwaukee Film Festival 2014: PsychoPath

When you tell people you are going to see a movie called Psychopath they think it is going to be a scary horror movie not an inspirational movie.  But this is a documentary about a man that follows his dream and it's hard not to get inspired by that.

The story starts in 2005 when a garbage man Victor Marquez buys a piece of land in Oklahoma. With this property he sets out to build not your typical haunted hayride. He has a vision of elaborate set pieces based on popular horror movies. There is a stop based on Camp Crystal Lake from Friday the 13th, a guy with a chainsaw reminiscent of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and a puppet anaconda. His vision is grand and faces lots of problems. Besides the amount of money he is putting into the enterprise his neighbors are determined to stop it. As it gets closer to the planned opening the stress level goes up astronomically. The staff starts breaking down and Victor looks like he is going to lose his dream. But his wife Suzette stays by his side and is the rock that will do anything for Victor to see his dream come true. And after many setbacks it finally opens and every year grows. 

The movie is a great document of the American Dream. Like Field of Dreams it turns out if you build a haunted attraction they will come. The movie is inspiring and it's always great to see someone making his dream come true. But the movie is also about family. We learn about Victor's and Suzette's relationship and while it isn't always perfect they stay by each other and shows how important family is. 

Someone recently told me if a documentary leaves you wanting to know more then it did it's job. And this movie does that. There is so much more you want to know. You could just keep watching this family. 

Overall: 5/5 great movie that inspires us to follow our dreams and the power of family. 

Milwaukee Film Fest 2014: The Priest's Children

Once upon a time there was a young, green priest, Don Fabijan. (Kresimir Mikic) He was saddened by modern ways, like people having sex for pleasure rather than procreation. As such, he felt called to stem the decay of the Croatian island community he sought to lead to the light, a place where the death rate was greater than the birth rate. Then again, this feeling may have been exacerbated by the other older, universally adored priest who excelled everywhere Fabijan was awkward. So when a sheep from his flock named Petar (Niksa Butijer) came and asked him if selling condoms was a sin, he decided to cleanse the sheep of (some of) their sins. How? Well, he decided to use a needle and pierce an imperceptible hole in all the condoms sold in the community. That way, a pregnancy would truly be God's will, not man's. Along the way, they are assisted by a pharmacist and Bosnian war veteran whose time spent in Serb and Muslim camps had left him less than sane, as well as a passionate believer in increasing the Croatian population.

Stop me if you've heard this before. No? Well, I'll keep going then. Naturally, this has consequences for the island. Some they forsee, such a whole lot more pregnancies and marriages. Others they don't, such as an increase in visitors to the island, since it is believed that the high birth rates are due to currents. But darker, more tragic, consequences are also unavoidable.

As those consequences continue and pile up, what begins as laugh out loud comedy soon ends up sparking a less than comedic domino effect. A baby is abandoned in front of the church, leading Petar and his wife Martha to fake a pregnancy so they can pass it off as their own. But the giggles stop when one young woman becomes barren and another dies.

It all leaves the once idealistic Fabijan disillusioned and eager for his end, and us with a harsh indictment on a church, especially the Papacy of the former Benedict XVI, which shows us an institution and the shepherds that represent it imposing its values and the consequences thereof on the rest of the world while literally getting away with murder themselves.

It's all pulled off with excellent performances and exquisite comedic timing, while also making great use of the location and history. The problem is that the more absurdist tone at the beginning of “The Priest's Children” feels like too stark of a contrast for the much bleaker one at the end, especially for a movie that passes itself off as a comedy. Nevertheless, it stands as a very well executed cautionary tale for how our judgments against others become sins in themselves.

Grade: B-

Milwaukee Film Fest 2014: Family United

Ah, weddings. Is there any other event where the reality is so consistently different from the shiny, Perfect Day shoved down our throats by powerful propaganda machines? Hmm. Maybe birth. Or childhood. Or rather, anything to do with kids and family in general.

That said, the buildup to the wedding in “Family United” starts sweetly enough. We are introduced to the happy couple as adorable little ten-year-old moppets. Efraín, the catalyst for all the chaos and disorder to come, explains how he is the youngest of five brothers, and how life has disappointed his father (Héctor Colomé). Apparently, Dad's (Héctor Colomé) favorite movie was “Seven Brides For Seven Brothers,” and believed his life was destined to resemble it. He dreamed of having seven sons and a lifetime of happiness with his wife and one true love. But he only got five, as his wife left after Efraín was born.

After Efraín recounts all this, he proposes to a girl in his class, Carla, so they can fufill his father's dream. She accepts, and quicker then you can say, “Aww,” the movie flashes forward eight years, where we learn that Efraín (Patrick Criado) is indeed marrying the now very pregnant Carla (Arancha Martí). Few are pleased about him marrying so young, and even fewer are actually happy to actually be at the wedding, seeing as how it's not only the same day as the 2010 World Cup, but their own country, Spain, is one of the finalists.

But while Efraín is confident about his decision, there are a few unsettling omens thrown his way, from a plank of wood that crashes through their van's window to a black cat at an otherwise charming ceremony where guests dance down the aisle to “Feel So Close.” But the party comes to a screeching halt when Colomé's heart fails, and he is left in a delicate, uncertain condition.

But as people are forced to learn time and again, when you plan on your life resembling a set picture, or rather a particular fiction, life is bound to fall short of your expectations. Real life tends to complicated; bad things happen for no reason, and there is nothing to do but adapt. So while the wedding is in limbo, the fault lines in everyone's lives are revealed. One brother is dating the ex of another, who has learned a shocking secret from his family and isolated himself from them. Another wants to get in the family safe and “borrow” money.

Then there's the would-be bride and groom themselves, or more to the point, Carla's twin sister Monica (Sandra Martín), who begins to form more of a connection with Efraín. Turns out, even Efraín's adorable proposal is more complicated than it initially appears, since apparently both sisters have been such a huge part of his life that he can't imagine it without both of them in it. Having a guy in the middle of a love triangle is difficult enough, so getting us to take this seriously, and tackling it in a such a sweet way (with the sisters in particular never losing sight of their bond and their love for each other) is really the film's major accomplishment. More than that, it's nice to see cinema finally approve of something different than the same old family arrangement. Here's hoping more mainstream American films follow suit too.

Grade: B+

Milwaukee Film Fest 2014: Still Life

In classic, reticent English fashion, “Still Life” does a lot with a little. It's what we call a little gem of a film, where even the colors are subdued, and, much like the Michael Haneke films “The White Ribbon” and “Amour,” a hushed tone doesn't mean a lack of passion.

“Still Life” is the character study of a council worker named John May (Eddie Marsan of “The World's End”), who has the job of finding a person's next of kin after they've passed away. When none can be found or refuse to make an appearance, he attends and oversees the funerals himself, often taking care of such details as writing the eulogy and even choosing the music that's played. He is devoted to his work and investigates each case thoroughly and exhaustively. It's remarkable to see, yet understandable, since he has much in common with the lonely people he devotes his time to: he lives a very solitary life himself, with no friends or family that we see.

May is not only the focus and center, he embodies the film's beliefs, its tone, its quiet stoicism that does what it believes is right and decent and tries to persuade others to do the same. But the outer world does not share his concerns, and he is told that his current case will be his last. It's a fitting finale, seeing how the now-deceased man lived right across from him, and the high personal and professional stakes make May more determined than ever that some friends or family must attend the last funeral he will ever devote himself to.

While sharing a similar tone to the aforementioned Haneke films, “Still Life” could also be seen as a more agnostic companion to the film “Calvary,” wherein Brendan Gleeson played a Catholic priest. Both films serve as a profound, moving meditation on death and our views of and rituals around it, as well as the lack of reverence today's world has for it in the rush for money and cutting costs. In their own ways, both argue that the lack of appreciation has profound consequences for the living, and sooner or later leads to a devaluation of them as well.

May knows he can't stem this tide, but he refuses to allow his efforts to become meaningless. Remarkably, “Still Life” never gives in to pity or maudlin displays. Its message is that of respect and empathy. Yet the movie refuses to turn away from the tragic emptiness that life can bring. May's efforts and the subsequent fruits of his labors unfold in a slow burn that culminates into one of the most touching and beautiful final scenes that I have ever seen on film. It's powerful enough that it actually upsets me that “Still Life” doesn't have its own Wikipedia page. Something this perfectly executed should have more of an audience.

Grade: A+

Milwaukee Film Fest 2014: Young And Beautiful

One thing you really have to admire the French for is tricking its audiences into believing that the softcore porn they're watching is actually an art house film. Take “Farewell, My Queen,” which appeared non-exploitative even while tossing in a lesbian romance that apparently wasn't even in the book it was based on. So I certainly have to tip my hat for almost making “Young And Beautiful” look like anything other than what it is: a male fantasy which is a mere money shot away from any run-of-the-mill Internet smut.

The title is very apt, however. The girl, Isabelle, (the very talented Marine Vacth) is certainly young, only seventeen. And she is certainly, almost impossibly beautiful. So beautiful it almost seems natural that she would want to profit from it. When we first meet her, we see more of her than we expected (in the first two minutes anyway). Indeed, the film quickly forces its audience to become voyeurs, since she is framed through an onlooker's binoculars, making us vicarious spies as she removes her top to sunbathe. Plus, the person who was spying on her? That was her little brother, who also peeks in when she happens to be, um, pleasuring herself. Soon, we see her lose her virginity to a boy she's not even particularly fond of, which leaves her cold and disillusioned. When she returns home, she also accidentally sees her stepfather naked. It all seems like a bit much.

Since “Young And Beautiful” aims to show, not tell, the character development will be a bit light, but it shouldn't be so nearly nonexistent. Right after Isabelle loses her virginity and leaves her family's charming vacation spot, we next see her heading to a motel room for her first paid tryst. So yeah, this girl just decides to become a prostitute, and we don't see when she made the decision, how she got the idea, or why she decided to take such an extreme step. To the film's credit, she's not depicted as sick or suffering from daddy issues, and she's still a somewhat inept 17-year-old even when she gets some experience under her belt.

And you wonder why conservatives are so afraid of the French. Heck, after seeing this, I'm almost afraid of the French.

But the beautiful thing about these types of French films is that they simultaneously take sex so seriously and so casually that it makes us forget our hysteria over an act that is as much a part of our lives as breathing. But by placing so much emphasis on the act and on Isabelle's outer rather than inner life holds “Young And Beautiful” from becoming the thoughtful, intelligent film it was obviously meant to be. Instead, you'll be baffled when that little brother mentioned above helps her with her makeup, and sleeps in her bed so he can press her for details about her date. Also, will she ever stop pouting and smile? And smirking doesn't count!

Writer-director François Ozon previously explored illicit, unsettling desire in a previous film, and another Milwaukee Film Festival alum, “In The House.” But “Young And Beautiful” left me feeling confused about what he was trying to accomplish. When Isabelle eventually does get discovered and has to face the consequences of her choices, even that isn't depicted well. How is it, exactly, that only her parents and a few of their friends find out, while no one at her school does? That seems far-fetched, especially in our new digital age, where a single remark can quickly spread to thousands or millions of people via social media. The intentions are good, even fascinating, but they don't even come close to being fulfilled.

Grade: D

Milwaukee Film Fest 2014: The Overnighters

One constant throughout history is that someone always has to be the scapegoat, particularly when times get tough. That's when such ugly beliefs like Hispanic immigrants steal American jobs, and other charming bits of racism, gain wide circulation.

It's often the poorest among us who are blamed the most. The rich may occasionally lose their jobs, sometimes even go to prison for their crimes, but those who have the least have fewer defenses, connections, and resources, and thus are easier targets. And giving into the vices that haunt their class is a constant temptation for the extremely rich and extremely poor.

Solutions are rarely easy, especially when the gulf between the two widens and becomes embedded in everyday life. And when there's an influx of new poor, things become that much more complicated.

“The Overnighters” shows what happens when one small town is forced to grapple with such forces, which are inevitably bigger than everyone caught in the midst of them and can prevent the best of us from seeing clearly. Such is the situation of the residents of Williston, North Dakota, which becomes a prime destination for desperate men who hear of well-paying jobs in the oil fields. Naturally, they are the subject of fear and suspicion among the locals, and not all of their fears are unwarranted. Desperate times tend to breed similarly desperate men, and the local paper tells of the worst of their actions.

So when local pastor Jay Reinke decides to use his church to offer some of the men a place to sleep and eat, it doesn't go over well. Unasked for new things are particularly scary, particularly when they come to a small town that's only used to one set of people. It leads to one of the more humorous scenes where Pastor Reinke advises one of the men to cut his hair so he'll be less offensive to the locals.

“Did Jesus have short hair?” the man asks.

“Jesus doesn't have our neighbors,” Reinke replies.

While many of the locals aren't depicted well, the camera spares no one, even those most in need. Assisting them is sometimes made more difficult by the men themselves, and when Reinke is forced to cut ties with a few of them, some of them even decide to seek revenge. Then it's discovered that some of these men are even sex offenders.

However, others aren't even homeless. They come to Williston with no place to go, but many have left behind homes, even families, that they cannot support in the towns they come from. One talks about how well things are going for him in his sparser than sparse surroundings. Keegan Edwards, from Antigo, Wisconsin gets a good job, then is sidelined by an injury, and his father tells him not to come back home to the lack of opportunities that drove him away. The heart is broken again and again when stories such as these are told.

But much of the focus is put on Pastor Reinke himself, who at first is depicted as almost saintly, but there's even a few shocking revelations in the documentary's third act that gives us a much more complex man, as well as more insight into why is able to empathize with broken men so completely.

This refusal to sugarcoat anyone makes “The Overnighters” all the more poignant as an examination of the best and worst we are capable of. The end result is a thoughtful, intelligent documentary with no easy answers, or really any answers at all. Rather, it is writer-director Jesse Moss's shout into the void that is global economics, a call that pleads for empathy and tolerance for those who cannot speak for themselves (even with all their flaws on full display) and rarely have a voice when such issues are discussed.

However, the film's focus on even such a compulsively watchable man as Reinke has its drawbacks as well. The end credits, where some of the more overlooked men introduce themselves to the camera, indicate an even greater story. Some of these men hail from places as far away as Africa. How many of these issues are due to racism as well? How does a man journey from Ghana to Williston, North Dakota? It made me wish the camera had lingered on more of the overnighters, since their presence indicates there's even more to the story than even the humane treatment here covered.

Grade: A-

Milwaukee Film Fest 2013: Maidentrip

One of the great things about The Milwaukee Film Festival is that they give teachers the opportunity to bring their class to a movie for free. This year one of the films that was part of the education screenings was Maidentrip.  A friend of mine brought her class and one of her students wrote a review. 

So I am happy to present our first guest blogger 7th Grader Takayla.

Maidentrip is about an amazing 14-year-old girl named Laura Dekker from Holland. Laura had an amazing life-long dream to sail around the world. She spent practically her whole life on boats. Her father loved boats and her mother didn’t because she’d always get sick. 

    

      She got her first boat when she was 8 years old. Laura got a new boat when she was 10 year old. By this time she had sailed by herself and her parents had separated. When she was 14 years old, she got a boat and she named it Guppy. When Laura told people she wanted to be the youngest person to sail around the world alone, child welfare tried to take her from her dad. They went to court, and she and her dad won. 

         In 2010 Laura sailed out from Holland to start her two-year voyage around the world. She recorded her voyage by herself. Speaking French, Dutch, and English, she traveled 27,000 miles over 519 days and she had crossed the finish line. Laura had stopped at a lot of places, like: South America, the Canary Islands, and St. Martin, filming all of the beautiful scenery. Laura Dekker is the youngest person to sail around the world alone. 

I thought the movie was amazing, but kind of boring. There were a few people falling asleep. There was no action, but there was a little bit of comedy. If you’re not mature and well rested, don’t go see this movie. There’s a lot of cursing involved, but overall I give this movie a 4 out of 10.

-Takayla, 7th Grade 

Westside Academy II

Milwaukee Film Fest 2013: Blancanieves

As the Milwaukee Film Fest moves along I realize that my I am writing my reviews quicker and the quality might be decreasing.  Sorry about that but I do hope I give these movies the credit they deserve.  

Blancanieves is a retelling of the classic Grimm fairy tale Snow White. The movie takes place in 1920's Spain and is filmed as a movie from that era. It is a black and white silent film. The story follows Carmen whose mother dies giving birth to her.  Her father is a famous bull fighter and he is horribly hurt the same day she is born.  He is not able to even look at his daughter so she is raised by a nurse.  But at the same time another nurse takes care of him and uses him for his money.  Eventually Carmen is forced to live in the same house as her dad and step mother and this is where the movie starts following the classic Snow White tale.  Eventually she meets up with The 7 Bull Fighting Dwarves which does bring some comedy.  

The movie is beautifully shot and well acted. It really feels like a classic.  Unlike The Artist which was a comedy and had the essence of a Chaplin film, Blancanieves is more of a drama and feels more like the 20's classic The Passion of Joan of Arc. I loved that it was the familiar story but with a distinct Spanish feel. The bull fighting aspect really makes it stand out from the typical Snow White story.  

Overall: 5 out of 5.  I really loved this movie and hope like The Artist more people see it and realize how powerful silent films can be and it motivates people to seek out some other classic silent films.  

Milwaukee Film Festival Day 14: The Sapphires

After taking two days off from the festival to spend time with the family on day 14 I saw The Sapphires.

The Sapphires is a musical comedy about a all Aboriginal girl group from Australia in the 60's.  When 3 Aboriginal sisters go to a talent show They meet a washed up musician Dave (Chris O'Dowd). When he recognizes the talent and the tenacity they have he agrees to be their manager. They end up teaming with their cousin for a life changing trip as entertainers for US soldiers in Vietnam.

With a back drop of racism and war the movie manages to be quite funny. It walks the delicate line of serious and hilarious and does it perfectly. The. cast is amazing and Chris O'Dowd shows he has a bright future ahead of him in comedy. The rest of the cast is also great.  Each of the girls had their own personality which is a credit to the writing and acting.  While the plot is similar to other movies like Dreamgirls I think this movie stands on its own. 

Overall 4/5 Stars.  Great acting, funny and emotional but the story is familiar.

Milwaukee Film Festival Day 11: 17 Girls

17 Girls is a French movie that is based on actual events that occured in Massachusetts where a group of girls all got pregnant at the same time.

In the movie after the popular girl gets pregnant her friends rally around her and support her.  When another girl gets pregnant they talk about how much fun it would be if they all had kids at the same time and they could all help each other and the kids will all have friends.  The it starts and each girl sets out to get pregnant..  As the story spreads through the school more and more girls get pregnant and the parents and school officials are dumbfounded.  At the end there are a total of 17 girls that are pregnant in the class. 

It is slightly disturbing to think that girls could be that bored that having a kid is the only wat to end the boredom.  While the story sounds outrageous it works. You really believe these girls are desperate for something to and are very naive about what having a baby means.  A big part of the believabilty is the acting.  All the girls in the movie do a great job.  There are some parts of the story  that feels like they could have gone more into.  And the ending felt slightly rushed and lefted some unanswered questions.

Overall 4/5 Stars. Good story, good acting but some of the story felt rushed.

Milwaukee Film Festival Day 11: The Jeffrey Dahmer Files

When I saw that there was another Jeffrey Dahmer movie coming out I was wondering what new could there be to talk about.  Seems like this has been covered enough.  Well I was wrong.  The movie uses interviews of the investigators and one of his neighbors to tell a personal story of the effect Dahmer had on them. In between interviews there are reenactments of Dahmer's everyday life like him on a bus or drinking beer by the State Fair.  

I really like the interviews with investigators especially the detective who initially interviewed him. It gave great insight to how overwhelmed the police really were. I think the most interesting interview was with the neighbor. A women that was friendly with him and initially couldn't believe that he had done anything wrong. The reinacments had me a little confused. I wasn't sure what they were trying to portray. But the director said afterward that he was trying to show the mundane parts of Dahmer's life. The ending of the movie left me wanting more. Like there could have been a bit more about the trial and Dahmer's murder in jail.

Overall 4/5 stars. Very well done and left me wanting more info.

Milwaukee Film Festival Day 10: Las Acasias

Las Acasias is an Argentinean film about a truck driver Ruben and his passenger Jacinta and her her 8 month old daughter Anahi. 

At first Ruben was reluctant to take a baby on such a long road trip.  But as they travel from Paraguay to Buenos Aires Ruben begins to appreciate the company. 

The movie has very little dialogue and very little happens.  It is a long and pretty uneventful road trip.  As Ruben, German de Silva does an excellent job at showing his emotion through his face without having to say a word.  The baby definitely has the cuteness factor and you can see Ruben bonding with her.  It is a romantic movie not like anything I have ever seen. 

Overall: 2/5 Great subtle acting but too slow for my taste.

Milwaukee Film Festival Day 10: Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is a documentary about Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei.  After designing The Birds Nest for the Beijing Olympics Ai Weiwei garnered international fame.  As is fame grew overseas the Chinese government started to crack down on his activities.  The government started following him and set up cameras around his studio.  Yet with the power of the internet Ai Weiwei's found a way to get around the government and his international fame continued to grow.  The documentary follows him as he prepares for several overseas exhibits and he increasingly clashes with the government.  Eventually the government takes him to an undisclosed location and interrogates him for almost 3 months for "tax evasion".  He was released after international pressure. 

The film captures his life and art beautifully.  He turns out to be a fascinating subject and while I don't always get his work it is amazing what he can do and get away with in under such strict government control.  But thanks to twitter, which he is on constantly, and his loyal followers he is able to get his message out. 

Overall: 4/5 Slow at times in the middle but inspirational and fascinating. 

Milwaukee Film Festival Day 10: As Goes Janesville

Check out my blog post on The Oak Creek Patch for my review of As Goes Janesville
Movie Review: As Goes Janesville

If you didn't get to see it at the festival the 60 minute version that aired on PBS is online.

http://m.video.pbs.org/video/2286056600/

4/5 Stars - Great documentary and very timely. 

Milwaukee Film Festival Day 9: The Imposter

The Imposter is a fascinating documentary. Part reenactment and part interviews it tells the story of a family whose son goes missing when he is 13 and is truly a case of truth being stranger then fiction.

Three years after he goes missing a person claiming to be him turns up in Spain. Obviously by the title it turns out he is an imposter and not the missing boy. But the situation gets even more bizarre after the family takes him home and accepts him as their missing son.

Interviews with the family and the imposter shows the complex and bizarre situation. The movie leaves you shaking your head and wondering what the truth really is.

Overall 4/5. Bizarre and fascinating. With more twists then expected.