DISPATCH FROM LOS ANGELES | Unleashing the Film Geek Within

When speaking of the incredibly personal nature of the film, co-writer David Alan Grier got choked up recalling how he got involved in the project. “Lori sent me some of the scenes she had, and one of them was the rape scene… I called her and asked, ‘did this really happen to you?’ I was driving,” he forces out, as he begins to cry, “and I had to pull my car over because I’ve known Lori for many years and I never knew this. It was like finding out your best friend - this isn’t my real name, etc.”

But Grier wasn’t the only one who shed tears. At an emotional Q & A for a free screening of the incredibly moving activist documentary, “The Garden,” director Scott Hamilton Kennedy welled up when speaking about his subjects. “I promised myself I was going to try not to cry,” he said under his breath.

The powerful documentary follows the story of the political struggle that ensued in 2004 over a 14-acre plot of public farm in the middle of South Central Los Angeles that a group of struggling farmers were using to feed their families. The film shows that corruption runs deep in city offices and the issue blows up into a larger story about environmentalism and community pride. LAFF’s free screening of the film was, appropriately, one of the biggest events of the weekend. The impassioned 40-minute Q & A included many emotional recollections. “I think that the lesson here is that no one is born with political power,” commented Tezozomoc, one of the farmers profiled in the film, “You all constitute your own political power.”

The last big event for the weekend, and perhaps the biggest, was Sunday night’s world premiere of Andrew van Baal and Mark Flanagan‘s documentary, “Largo.” A performance film cobbled together from six months of footage from the famous Hollywood nightclub that the film draws its title from, “Largo,” both the screening and the film itself, included appearances from music and comedy greats like John C. Reily, Jon Brion, Fiona Apple, Patton Oswald and Flight of the Conchords.

Kicking off the festivities for one of the most enthusiastic audiences Los Angeles has seen in a long time, frequent Largo opening act David Gruber Allen (aka The Naked Trucker) read down the rules of the screening and playfully mocked the festival sponsors. Things only turned a bit more serious when Flanagan, the club’s long-time owner and booker, took the mic, said a few quick words and the wonderfully nostalgic film began to roll.

During the post-screening Q & A, it was revealed to the few audience members that Largo closed after the film wrapped. When asked if he anticipated the closure when they began making the film, Lanagan said “no.” “I know it’s a little sad when the lights go off at Largo,” Flanagan contemplated, “but I’m not sad at all.” Then, as if speaking for the entire audience, he added, “I feel really lucky to be alive in this place and time.” The geeks walking up and down Westwood for LAFF this year may feel the same.

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