LAFF ‘07 CRITICS NOTEBOOK 2 | Mixing Politics and Religion with the Usual Ups and Downs

Meanwhile, narratives like Rodger Grossman‘s “What We Do Is Secret” and Scott Prendergast‘s “Kabluey” attempt to mix different tones and styles. “Secret,” the history of the unruly L.A. punk band, The Germs, is framed as a faux-documentary, including intimate interviews with the main characters narrating the standard dramatic sequences. Newcomer Prendergast, meanwhile, writes, directs and stars in “Kabuley,” a goofy comedy about a man who takes a job as a suit-wearing company mascot to try to hold his fragile family together in the wake of his brother’s deployment to Iraq.

Pastor Melz and his wife Deborah in Ondi Timoner’s “Join Us.” Photo by Vasco Nunes.

Both films exist in a bizarre space between hyper-reality and ultra-reality. Despite some decent performances (particularly by Bijou Philips), the improvised style of “Secret”‘s interviews mix awkwardly with the campy direction of the film’s staged scenes, leaving it choppy and uneven. “Kabluey,” easily the more successful of the two, blends serious issues into the silly comedy that pervades throughout its running time and, though it doesn’t always quite hit both notes simultaneously, each tone works to its own positive effect—rendering it the best world premiere narrative in competition by leaps and bounds, with the exception of one fantastically daring piece of work that stands out above all.

Tony Stone‘s “Severed Ways: The Norse Discovery of America,” is a cheaply produced, full speed ahead Viking epic complete with full Nordic ballads and plenty of headbanging. At times echoing the best of early Herzog, Stone’s film is mostly an original venture, and one that needs to be seen to be believe (the defecation scene alone has had the entire festival talking for days), but the widescreen impact of the film is one that simply cannot be ignored. The beautiful imagery achieved through sheer craftsmanship when paired with the uniqueness of its conception makes “Severed Ways” a visionary work from one of the most promising new American narrative filmmakers in recent years.

That’s not to say that the others here don’t make a valiant effort. Ilya Chaiken, in particular, in her film “Liberty Kid” which contains noteworthy performances and packs a decent emotional punch. The film revolves around two Statue of Liberty workers who lose their jobs post 9/11 and must contend with rebuilding their lives. Where “Kabluey” tries to find humor in the current political climate, “Liberty Kid” explores its sometimes grave impact on everyday people.

Quickly looking at other titles, Chris Eska‘s beautifully muted, but unfortunately empty “August Evening,” Jesse Manafort‘s vapid “The Beautiful Ordinary” and Andrews Jenkins’ commercial “How To Rob a Bank” are presented with a certain directorial conviction that is undeniable, despite some cardboard performances and scripting problems.

Speaking of which, what would this festival be without some big gala premieres… This year, LAFF not only included Michael Bay‘s “Transformers,” a rip-roaring special effects romp that gives animators and FX artists much more of a chance to shine than the wasted talent of Shia LeBouf, who stars in the film. In contrast, the premiere of Kasi Lemmons’ “Talk To Me,” a biopic about the career of famous ‘60s DJ Ralph Waldo “Petey” Green Jr, include fantastic performances, by both Don Cheadle, as Green, and Taraji Henson.