SIFF '08 Retrospective: Part II

Staub (Dust)

Country: Germany

So this movie is about exactly what it states it's about: dust. This film was part of an 'Alternative Cinema' program for SIFF. I have not seen many, if any, European documentaries and I was hoping for a film that would provide an intricate view on the minute particles of dust - what they're made of, how they affect us, how much of the stuff we breath in, people's view on dust, etc. I kind of got bits and pieces of that. Like the subject and title of the doc, the director floats around certain aspects of dust but never goes too in depth on one subject. I almost felt as though he had a short attention span. I don't know any German, but the narration was incredibly monotone and very little humor was used throughout. I was under the impression from an excerpt/trailer for this film that there was an underlying humor about it, but it seemed so serious. Gripes aside, there were some interesting scenes including a researcher who collects and classifies clumps of dust. I'm quite bewildered at what the director wanted out of this film, if I wanted something more educational I'm sure the Discovery Channel could come up with something much more engaging and informative. I'd say pass on this film.

Official Movie Site: http://realfictionfilme.de/filme/staub/index.php

Trailer: - Watch the trailer on the movie site, see this clip it's the most worthwhile part of the film.


Ben X

Country: Belgium


Ben is a high school student with Asperger syndrome. He is the picked on by classmates and can only find solace in playing an MMORPG called ArchLord. I didn't know this was actually a real game until recently. Although Ben struggles to interact with those around him, he is able to express himself through his online avatar. He eventually uses this escapism to try to break out of his oppressive life in the real world. Director Nic Balthazar shot this film based upon a novel he wrote which was based on an autistic boy who committed suicide after being bullied at school. The film does a good job of juxtaposing Ben's inner self to his outward self.

Official Movie Site: www.benx.be

Trailer:




American Teen

Country: America

No, I didn't get nostalgic for The Brat Pack and saw The Breakfast Club - just deceiving advertisements. I have to admit that the main hook for me wanting to watch this film was not that it got high praise at Sundance, but that the movie follows the lives of 4 (I'm convinced the fifth guy makes cameos just so they have a Judd Nelson wannabe on the poster and he's the opposite of a rebel) high school seniors from Warsaw, IN. We the audience get to peer into the lives of 4 socially diverse teens throughout their senior year, from beginning to end - the relationships, thoughts on the future, college, etc. It's quite candid, without it feeling like another reality TV show. Like a good doc, you find yourself routing for certain people in the film. Since watching The Up Series (I'll blog about that another time), watching the lives of real people (not stage celebrity life) is quite engaging and you can relate to the ups and downs of life. I didn't find it in anyway shedding a negative light to middle America, although the audience I saw it with at the festival seemed to have a field day bashing the humdrum life of the Midwest. The film definitely reminded me of home and friends, although I didn't grow up in rural Indiana. During the Q&A after the film, director Nanette Burstein explained her process in picking the right high school to do the movie in. She wanted somewhere in middle America, a community where it was small enough that it had only one high school (decisions and events in the school would hold more precedence), and a school that would be willing to allow a crew to film the schools ins and outs for an entire school year. Once the school was picked, she started interviewing students of interest to put into the film. Definitely an entertaining and great film, Burstein was fortunate enough to catch some really candid footage from all the teens lives.

Official Movie Site: www.americanteenthemovie.com

Trailer: