RF Exclusive: Melissa Kosar | TVIFF 2011

My final interview with a filmmaker was a pleasant surprise. I actually had an opportunity to screen her film during the submission process, and when I met her at the festival, she was more than gracious enough to sit down with me to talk about her film, Lex Talionis, which premiered at TVIFF this year.

Anthony Pang | Let's start with the film's title. Tell me about it.

Melissa Kosar | Lex Talionis is Latin for "eye for an eye." I didn't want to call it "Revenge" or "Retribution," I wanted to be creative and wanted to make people think when they read it.

AP | Well, it's a good title, definitely more attractive than "Revenge" or whatever. So, where did the film idea come from?

MK | I wanted to write a revenge story that revolved around a female lead with an alter ego. I love psychological-thrillers and wanted to do a half-psychological, half-heavy drama. The different elements came together and once they did, it just snowballed from there. I do a lot of writing at night because that is when I feel most creative. After I had my outline I began writing and four hours later I had Lex Talionis. It helps when you have different emotions and feelings helping to get the words onto the page.

AP | So, what did you learn during the filmmaking process and what would you do differently next time?

MK | I chose to do this film extremely late during my last year at graduate school as an independent study. I wrote the script in October of 2009, started pre-production in March of 2010 and shot it in April, one month before I graduated. It wasn’t a matter of needing credit, it was about having another opportunity to shoot a film before I graduated. There are always limitations doing a student film, especially that late into the curriculum. No matter what type of film you are making, a short, a feature or a documentary, there are many things to do and it can be stressful. Budget issues come up, time restraints, schedule conflicts, locations, permits, equipment, etc.
The one consistent thing I always learn from each film I do is to stress a little less the next time. Things have a way of working out, sometimes not exactly as planned but the job gets done. There is much to be said for a hard-working and talented crew as well. They are invaluable and it allowed me to focus on my responsibility as the director. Looking back now, it is hard to pinpoint one thing because you learn by doing. And you take each experience with you as you continue on your journey, and sometimes you can’t do anything but roll with it.

AP | Fair enough. You talked about shooting on film. Now, that medium presents its own challenges. Any thoughts on that experience?

MK | Yeah, again, being in school, the advantage we had was having the option to shoot on film. I knew I wanted to shoot it on film so we shot on Super 16 for this particular project. I didn't want to shoot this one digitally, I wanted keep it on film, just one more time before graduation. I knew it would be awhile before I would shoot on film again, so I figured, I might as well take advantage of this opportunity. Gail Duncan, our film rep from Kodak was so generous, she gave us a huge deal and helped us out tremendously with getting film stock and such.
There's nothing like shooting on film, even with the times changing to digital. I think there's something to be said for [shooting digital], but I think there are still films that should be shot on film. You just have to look and see what the story calls for.
Michael Mann is one director who I admire. For Collateral, he shot on both film and digital. You can't see the skyline at night if you shoot on film, it's too dark, so that is one example where he shot on digital. I didn't combine mediums on my film, but for me, it’s gaining knowledge and inspiration from other directors and other filmmakers that inspire me to do what I do and make the choices I make.

AP | Besides that, what was the most difficult challenge and how was that resolved?

MK | One particular challenge was trying to hit the budget to make the film. The amazing thing is that there were so many people that were willing to step up and support and be a part of this project, which I am truly thankful for. My cast were flexible with their schedules and my crew came on board knowing that this was not a “class project” or thesis film. I am always inspired to do better when those around me challenge me to do so. My brother, Anthony is a special FX artist and illustrator. He came out from Chicago to help and do all the special FX make-up for the film. Having him there gave me a sense of comfort and was a set of eyes I could trust. My brother and I are close and when things became intense from time to time, he was always there to reassure me, which definitely eased the load. There were a few people in particular who supported me throughout the entire process and words could never express my gratitude: of course my immediate family and Anthony, but also Bryan N., Mike V., and my school advisor on the project, James Gardner. When everyone else was telling me ‘no,’ they all said ‘yes.’

AP | Talk about your approach to the filmmaking process.

MK | I played basketball since I was five years old. I was recruited in undergrad to play ball and I was also a basketball coach. That helped me as a director because you have to delegate responsibility; you have to rely on a team to do what they do best. So, that whole aspect helped set me up as a director to get all those elements to work. I approach filmmaking as I do a coach. You have to know your cast and crew, the different personalities, being able to delegate responsibility, and being able to answer all the questions that come to you like rapid-fire. You can't shut down, you have keep the ball rolling. I attack it like a basketball game, everybody has their responsibility to make sure everyone is doing their job to their best potential, and you create that team to the unified outcome. And depending on what genre I'm shooting or depending on what the film is, of course, I'll take liberties with how I'll approach it. The main thing is keeping everybody on the same page. Making sure at the end of day the voice you want represented is heard and the story comes out the way you envisioned in your head.

AP | You're the second straight interviewee to answer with the sports team analogy, very interesting. Switching to your film, Lex Talionis, how has the response been so far?

MK | The response has been great. We got into three film festivals, so far, and we have a screening next month for the LA Femme Film Festival. I did show it to a couple people during the process just to get feedback. It is a heavy story with a lot of information in 15 minutes. People really dig the premise. My whole goal for my film is to extend it into a feature and use the short as a tool to show the tone and visual style. The screening in Temecula was our premiere, some of my cast and crew came out to see it for the first time in its completion. It was great to hear their positive response to the film. I not only had a composer score the film, but also had Michael Del Palazzo of The Wake Effect allow us to use a track for the film. It was the first time he was ever part of a film and he was excited to see the finished product and was very happy to have been part of it. It always makes you feel good as a filmmaker when people who were a part of the project or are seeing it for the first time respond enthusiastically. I am always open to critique, I like people telling me the truth, but the reality is you ask 10 people, 10 people will do it 10 different ways. The most important thing is that I am proud of the finished product and I’m excited to see where the film goes and the prospect of turning it into a feature.

AP | What kind of advice would you give to young, aspiring filmmakers? What's one thing you would say to them?

MK | The best advice I can give is that you really have to have a direction of where you want to go, really narrow it down, pick a field you want to get into and then go for it. A majority of the time it's a long, hard, difficult road. I'm the type that keeps fighting and never looks back, but that is what you have to do if you want it badly. You have to go out there and do it, get your hands dirty and make things happen on your own. The best thing anyone has ever told me was ‘no,’ it only made me work harder.

AP | What is one of your favorite films?

MK | There are so many films that I love and watch and get inspired by. There are two very specific favorite films, for two different reasons. First, Back to the Future II is one of my favorites and when I was in 7th grade I saw a behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the film and that is what sparked my interest in film production. I thank my technology teacher for showing that in class or else I probably wouldn't be here today doing what I'm doing. David Fincher and Michael Mann are two directors I most admire for their style, storytelling ability and visual imagery. With that being said, Collateral is my favorite film. In my opinion, Mann hit that one out of the ballpark.

AP | One last question. On a lighter note, have you ever ran coffee for anyone?

MK | [laugh] You gotta pay your dues, you better believe I have.

AP | Who was the first person you ran coffee for?

MK | My mentor, Lee Shallat Chemel, is the first person I ever ran coffee for. She is a wonderful person and an extremely talented director who has been sharing her knowledge and craft with me over the last year. Lee actually came out to my screening over the weekend, which really meant a lot to me. I have nothing but respect and admiration for her and am happy to get her double decaf soy cappuccino whenever she wants! [laugh]

Here's to Dir. Melissa Kosar and the hope for her feature!

RF Exclusive: Andrew Erwin | TVIFF 2011

My next interview is with Dir. Andrew Erwin. Andrew co-directed the film October Baby with his brother Jon (known as The Erwin Brothers), and I am honored to have a chance to talk more about this film with him. If you remember, October Baby was on my TVIFF 2011 "To-Watch List," and it was such a treat to watch it again on the big screen, where it was so much better than my puny TV. (By the way, audiences agreed with me, sending the film with a runner-up Audience Choice Award. Congrats!)

Even with big things in the works for the film (theatrical distribution!), Andrew was very approachable and graciously sat down with me after the festival.

Anthony Pang | First of all, where did the idea or the inspiration for October Baby come from?

Andrew Erwin | The inspiration came from a girl I heard speak, named Gianna Jessen, who had an incredible true story. As I heard her story, that really moved me as a filmmaker to explore it. I didn’t know there was an issue with abortion survivors. The movie is ultimately about forgiveness and a girl’s journey, Hannah, as she tries to find her birth mother. It was because of Gianna’s story, who's an abortion survivor herself and [who] also has cerebral palsy, that really moved me to explore the world of “October Baby.”

AP | Obviously, the topic is very sensitive and also very charged at times. What was your approach tackling such a subject?

AE | Well, the subtext of the film is “life is beautiful,” and it was an exploration of life and forgiveness. We wanted to take not a politically-charged look at it but an emotionally vulnerable look at it, “to be human is to be beautifully flawed,” as I've heard said. It’s a complicated issue that becomes easier to look at when you look at it through the eyes of complicated people. We tried to take more of a sensitive approach, so there are no villains in this story. It's more a look at a very important issue. There are heartbreaking elements, and then, there’s a coming-of-age love story at its core as this girl Hannah begins to find out who she is and comes to grips with it all.

AP | You guys just got distribution and October Baby will be seen by a lot of people, hopefully. But so far, showing the film a little at the film festivals, what has been the response to the film so far?

AE | I’ve been nervous about it. Anytime you put a film out there as a filmmaker, it’s highly intimate because it’s something you’ve invested at least a year of life into and it’s a story that’s become deeply personal. And because it's such a charged issue, it wouldn’t have been my first choice to take on, but it’s a story that found us as filmmakers that we just had to tell. So, I’ve been nervous as we presented it, because it’s so important to me that the issue is presented in a way that is genuine, humble and sensitive. I was nervous to put it out there and to see how it [would be] received, but in all respects, it’s been received extremely well, whether someone agreed with the premise movie or not.
What the movie was intended to do was to promote dialogue and help people discuss the issue. Paul Haggis, who did Crash, said “good films don’t give answers, they ask the right questions.” Hopefully, this movie asked the right questions. At the end of each screening, there has been a lot of talking and dialogue back and forth, and that’s very gratifying for me as a filmmaker.

AP | Let’s talk about some of the talent from the film. With great films, there’s definitely great talent behind it, whether in front or behind the camera. Talk about Rachel Hendrix, who played the lead role of Hannah, who I think the performance was fantastic. Give me some thoughts about her.

AE | Rachel Hendrix is a fresh face that a filmmaker friend of mine cast in a short film, and I saw her and thought she was phenomenal. She really has this quality that people fall in love with her when they see her on screen. She just has a genuine-ness and an honesty to her that is very much like a Natalie Portman or Keri Russell. I think she’s got a wonderful future. She was discovered, like I said, by my friend, and we put her in a few of our music videos and a TV series that was a pilot for a network. With [October Baby], we really felt with Hannah’s character, it was extremely important that you loved her and rooted for her. We wanted an actress that would make you break your heart for her. Rachel just became Hannah and she’s got a special future ahead of her.

AP | I think another major component that stands out is the music, which really helps underscore some of the tensions, the drama and the emotions of the film. Talk about that.

AE | The music is something that I’m passionate about. I love Cameron Crowe films, how the music is a character to the film, especially with the band music that he chooses and the fresh voices that you haven’t heard before. So, we tried to find fresh music that may not have been heard on film before, a lot of indie bands. My opinion is that music in a film shouldn’t tell you what to think but that it should really reinforce how you should feel. The music very well does that. And then the score, Paul Mills, my composer, came along side and wrote a very simplistic score that had a very minimalist undertone that went hand-in-glove with the bands that we chose.

AP | Let’s talk a little bit more about the filmmaking process. What was a difficult aspect of the process and how did you go about seeing it through?

AE | The writing process was very interesting. My brother and I, our background is music videos and documentary. With those things, the story sort of comes to you. Documentary is all about going out and finding the story.
With the writing process, if I had to do it again, I probably would’ve cut about 20 pages out of our script. [laugh] I found out the hard way that we really had to work to hone down the film to find out what was the story we really wanted to tell. They say when the Statue of David was carved, they chipped away until nothing was left but David and we kind of took that approach. We tried to just keep whittling down unnecessary things, good things, to get to things that were better, so that was the long part of the process.
And then, just the difficulty of the marathon that it is to make a feature film. It's a much longer process, and you have to pace yourselves. It was much longer that I anticipated.

AP | We’ve talked about some negatives, but now let’s talk about some positives. What was or has been the best part of the process so far?

AE | To see people emotionally engaged with what you’re putting out there. As a filmmaker, by the time you get done with a feature, especially since I'm also the editor, I’ve seen the film 100 times and by then, all I see are the mistakes. So, to be able to be in an audience and live vicariously in a fresh sense with people who are seeing it for the time, that’s a very satisfying. To hear them laughing at the right moments and crying at the right moments, to see people wiping away tears and at the end, see their emotional response to the issue and that they want to engage it and they want to talk about it, that's very satisfying to me.
And then, there’s been a healing aspect to the process, as well. So much of the time, as filmmakers, we get to deal with some very painful issues but in a way that is cathartic. Gianna Jessen, my friend that originally inspired us, she watched it and she said it was a very healing moment for her. Shari [Wiedman], who plays the birth mother in the [film], has a story very similar to the character she plays and to play it from the other side, to walk back, she said it was very healing for her to move on with her own story. That’s very satisfying, to see people emotionally engaged and to live vicariously through people who are watching it for the first time, let’s the movie be fresh for me again. That's a fun part of the process.

AP | We previously talked about faith and how faith is very central to your life. Talk about the mix of faith and filmmaking, where and how does it play in your process, because, obviously, it can be a very difficult place for faith to play out. Your thoughts on that.

AE | Yeah, I’m happy to speak to that. It’s a very important thing to me. I am a firm believer in Jesus Christ, I love the teachings of Jesus on forgiveness and redemption, and I hold those very, very personally. I feel like a lot of times in faith films, the way we present our message has lacked sensitivity to engaging culture in a way that they can hear us, not all the time, but sometimes. And sometimes, I feel like it’s lacked some art and craft to it, as well.
Jon and I really want our movies to be salt as we engage culture with the right questions. We look for stories that are redemptive at the core in a genuine, organic way, not forced, not fake, not disingenuous. Now, sometimes they may have overt faith message and sometimes they may not, but I feel like when we find a redemptive story, the Gospel shines through no matter what. And there have been movies that have that very, very well, like Chariots of Fire, one of my favorites, did that incredibly well and was recognized as Best Picture for that. We want the salt of the stories we tell to make people thirsty for the truth, truth that I feel is found in the freeing message of Jesus Christ. Hopefully, our films will ask the right questions to engage culture in this way.

AE | I think this film certainly does. Now, on a lighter note. Most recent film you saw and you liked.

AP | [thinking] I loved The Help. I watched it a couple weeks ago. Tate Taylor, the director of the film, he's from my neck of the woods. Heartbreaking look at a lot of the racist history of the South, but I liked it cause it was complex. You were able to empathize with both sides of the issue and where people were coming from back then. Just looking back at the history of that, it was heartbreaking but at the same time very healing. I [also] loved the look of that movie. I thought Emma Stone and Viola Davis were phenomenal in their respective roles.

AP | And just for fun, who was the first person you ran coffee for?

AE | [laugh] Ran coffee for… [laugh]

AP | [laugh] You’ve run coffee before, right?

AE | [laugh] Yeah, yeah, that’s the beauty of working with my brother. (Note: Andrew originally said “for” and then corrected himself) There’s a joke on set, that Jon, my brother, when he wants something, he’ll get snippy about it. So the running gag that my 1st AD says is “Les Grossman needs a Diet Coke,” from the movie Tropic Thunder and Tom Cruise’s character. So, my brother, I probably ran coffee for him and he’s picky about how he likes his coffee.

Thank you so much to Andrew for his time. October Baby will be playing at Heartland Film Festival and Red Rock Film Festival this Fall 2011, so check it out if you have a chance! I'll definitely keep track of the film's journey and I hope everyone gets an opportunity to watch the film.

RF Exclusive: Kim Noonan | TVIFF 2011

Over the weekend at the 2011 Temecula Valley International Film and Music Festival, I had an opportunity to sit down and talk with a number of filmmakers about their film and their work. This week, I'll be posting up my interviews with them, who touch upon not just their film, but also the filmmaking process, as well.

For my first interview, Dir. Kim Noonan, director of the short film Pepper, which played at TVIFF 2011. If you read my post last week before the festival, Pepper was one of the films I had put on my TVIFF 2011 "Watch List" and I am excited to have this opportunity to talk with Dir. Kim, who had a busy weekend with his film.

Anthony Pang | Where did the idea for the film come from?

Kim Noonan | Well, I lived in Echo Park. Everybody there, essentially, is single. It's LA, like everyone, not married, like me, single. Everyone who is single and live in LA, a lot of them have pets and they are mostly dogs. It seems like instead of being married, they're married to their pets and their dogs. They have this special relationship with their dogs. I remember walking and running a lot in Elysian Park, which is in that area, and seeing a lot of dogs, abandoned dogs, walking around on their own. A lot of them were hit and on the ground. I've always wondered what is the right thing to do in that situation, because if you hit a human being, you call 911. If you hit a dog, all the moral responsibility is on your shoulders, and that kind of sucks, to tell someone you hit their dog. I thought that might make for a compelling story.

AP | Have you ever hit a dog yourself or been in a similar situation?

KN | No, but my sister hit a cat when I was in high school and she nearly killed us after she hit it. I'll never forget it, she turned her head around and was not paying attention to the road, and I'm like "Go, it's just a cat!" And that was my whole thing about this film, it's just a dog. But is it really just a dog? Because these people have a special relationship with their dog. I don't get it, but they get it. And there is animal people that get animals and are into PETA and things like that. I don't get it, but they have this special connection with pets that I'll never know. That's one the things I wanted to explore. And also, explore my point of view that thinks it is just a dog or cat that you hit.

AP | Has any animal lovers responded to your film?

KN | No, believe it or not, surprisingly, a great deal of women have loved this film. It's so weird. Most of the women who have contacted me love this film because they get the girl's perspective and the guy's perspective. I think it has to do a lot with the good acting in it.

AP | Now, this is not your first film, right? [KN: No] What did you learn while making this film and what would you do different next time?

KN | Contracts. If you're a filmmaker, you gotta have more contracts. I kind of just put this together as a passion piece and we were just offered distribution by Shorts HD and iTunes. For some reason, and usually I'm responsible and organized, I forgot to do the contracts. That's one of the things I regret not doing.
The one thing I really learned was that you can't really take things personally. Whatever people say, you have to keep moving forward. You can't really think too much about what people say or think. If someone is trying to be a nuisance on your set, you can't give it any attention, you have to think 'this film can't suck.' Keep working on what's moving it forward and what is important.

AP | What was the most difficult challenge and how was it resolved?

KN | The most difficult challenge, so far, is in post. It's always going to be in your sound. An independent filmmaker, you don't have twenty-, fifty-, fifty-five thousand dollars to close off a whole block and tell everyone to be quiet. You're dealing with planes, helicopters, school buses driving by. I remember when I wrote my first short film, my producer said you're never going to get these locations. Be smart about your locations, make sure they are not filled with a lot of people, make sure they are small and intimate, and ask your friends to be extras. I'm like, wow, that's really smart and it made me think about it. If I would advise any filmmaker, it would be always just to simplify things.

AP | We've talked about the difficult stuff. Now, what about the best part of the process?

KN | The best part is that we've sold out our first three screenings, and we played at Holly Shorts and LA Shorts and just killed it. For some reason, probably because of the actors, people really empathize with their situation. And even though Chuck (plays Nate, the lead actor) is such a punk, who does everything wrong thing, people laugh at it. I feel like they would be doing the same thing if they saw this girl, who was distraught and so overwhelmed by her dead dog. And that's what has been so gratifying, honestly, that people got it and then are able to laugh about it. Taking a tragic situation and being able to laugh about it.

AP | Now that you've done a couple of films, what would you say is your approach to filmmaking is?

KN | There's never going to be a single approach. If anything I hate, I don't like drama freaks on the set. If there's going to be one drama freak, that would be me, and that is it. [laugh]
Really though, I equate it with sports. I've always been good at sports and I always think I know what is right for the team. I feel like I am just the head coach, and I have my DP, my sound people and everyone around me. They are my coaching staff, and my players are the actors. If we prepare hard enough and they believe in what I think can get them there, then we're golden. If they trust me, that we're going to prepare enough, and not worry about the win but just worry about the process, we'll do it. I spend 80% of my time with my actors and the story. I care about what things look like, but not as much as I care about what is honest and truthful. That's to God's truth, I care so much what my actors are doing, I love what they are doing.

AP | I liked the point about the football team, it's a good analogy. On a lighter note, what is the most recent film you saw and that you liked a lot?

KN | [Thinking] Hmm...Well, maybe I am prejudice, but I think, honestly, one of the films I've seen is Bridesmaids, because it hilarious and Dana Powell, who is in my film, plays a stewardess. It's not only that, but do you think Sandra Bullock or Kate Hudson is a comedic genius? No, you put really good women who do comedy in a movie and that was the coolest thing. You put real women who aren't that attractive but are funny and you just let them be unattractive and that was what was attractive. You let them show a little rib, be ugly, be vulnerable, be stupid, and that was funny. It was a well-written script and that was one of the funnier movies I've seen.

AP | Alright, last question, also on a lighter note. First person you ran coffee for?

KN | I've never ran coffee for anyone.

AP | Never?

KN | No, I haven't...

AP | Congratulations. [laugh]

KN | Yeah, haven't ran coffee. I've had people run coffee for me, unfortunately, but no, hopefully I'll never be in that position. BUT I'm always nice to person, though....

[laugh]

AP | That's good, that probably makes you a nice director to work with.

Favorite Film Series [Wk:4]

It has been two weeks since I've done a FFS, but here I am again. Hopefully, you've had an opportunity to watch previous weeks' films.

This week's film will deviate in genre from previous weeks. There are good, quality comedy films, and they can indeed be genuinely funny, regardless of how formal film criticism tries to suck the life of them (if they address them at all). Nonetheless, comedy is a difficult genre to do well and most quality comedy films are complex structures. Unlike the dime-a-dozen forgettable slapstick comedy seen on most mainstream screens, quality comedy films have considerable depth and subtlety that requires an discerning audience.

Here is this week's film.

Big Shot's Funeral (2001) Dir. Xiaogang Feng

Why this film: Before Morgan Spurlock decided to sell-out, Xiaogang Fang's comedy film had already explored in narrative form the encroachment (or development, if you wish) of mass advertising and marketing campaigns on public life. While Spurlock's film exploits the question of entertainment-as-advertisement-vehicle when the question has already been answered in the public consciousness, Xiaogang Fang's film, made a decade earlier, explores the question through some extreme (and at the time, seemingly improbable) conclusions. Though I doubt anyone would say Fang's film is prophetic, though it must seem like that in retrospect, the film might be considered a marker from which we in the present can look back and trace how things have unfolded.
However, I digress because these are not the reasons I like this film. I like it because it is simply funny and ridiculous, but not in a slapstick, one-liner kind of way. I realize I also have a particular affinity for the film-within-a-film cinematic structure, kind of like the backstage musicals of the mid-20th century. The cast is well-chosen and their chemistry is strong. You Ge, Rosamund Kwan, Donald Sutherland, Da Ying, and Paul Mazursky all have strong and, dare I say, somewhat endearing peroformances.
Lastly, whenever you have a East-West-type cast or film, often it comes off stale, weird, or just plain insulting. I think there is a very good balance here, where the audience stays focus on the world playing out on screen.

Language: Mainly Mandarin, some English.

Availability
Netflix: Available
Amazon Instant Video: N/A
SDSU: Available
UCSD: Available
San Diego Circuit: Available
San Diego Public Library: N/A

2011 TVIFF "To Watch List"

This is the 2nd year that I volunteered as a screener for the Temecula Valley International Film Festival. Below are a list of films that I came across that stood out as films worth watching either at the festival or at your local indie theatre or on Netflix. This list is not all-inclusive as I didn't have the opportunity (or would even have had the time) to watch every film that was submitted. I would say that most of the films on the program (listed here) have been well-vetted by a number of capable and critical screeners.

October Baby, Dir. The Erwin Brothers (Jon and Andrew) (2011) (IMDB)
This narrative drama by the Erwin Brothers, as a whole, is both engaging and beautiful. The story is not novel by any means, but nevertheless it is well-written, and from a well-written story was built a great film. Most, if not all, of the arcs all come around in the end and it is well-structured, which I'm sure audiences will appreciate. The cinematography is visually gorgeous as a combination of both great image selection and also great choice of location and geography. (Set in Alabama, I believe) Rachel Hendrix (Hannah) was fantastic playing the lead, a really strong performance. Up and down, the cast performed very well and their strong chemistry was evident on screen. Combine that with a strong, albeit emotional, score throughout the film, with a noticeably fresh soundtrack.
The film, for better or worse, plays it safe structurally. It seems a lot of films nowadays attempt challenging approaches, employing flashbacks, non-linear construction, etc. However, audiences won't find that kind of more challenging structure here; the film does mostly play by the rules and feels very mainstream. This isn't necessarily a knock on the film; if you have a strong story plus a strong cast, in my opinion, there's really no need to make it more complicated than that. "October Baby" certainly had those aspects and it showed.
The film isn't without its weaknesses, though, if you could even really call it that. For example, I didn't feel that the road-trip with the friends and the subsequent hate from Alanna (Colleen Trusler) toward Hannah was really necessary. The biggest strength of the film comes in the Hannah-Jason (Jason Burkey)-Hannah's parents relationship and, as a whole, the Hannah-Alanna arc didn't feel like it added much. In addition, it felt like there was an emotional over-pull during certain stretches of the film, whether through the score being over-the-top or some shots being too long.
Those minor points being said, as a whole, I think the Erwin Brothers should be proud of themselves. "October Baby" is well-envisioned and well-executed. Given the political landscape regarding the subject matter, it was handled deftly and effectively without being preachy or overbearing. Though some may object to the injecting of religious discussion toward the latter half of the film, I believe those who are able to look beyond politics will find a powerful film underscoring forgiveness and grace that can be found in human relationships, even in its complicated interactions and regrettable consequences. I found the film very compelling in both its construct and its narrative, and I do think that audience members that are willing to engage the Erwin Brother's characters will walk away very impressed.

5th and Alameda, Dir. Richard Friedman (2011) (IMDB)
Off the bat, this film is definitely violent and there is certainly some deep psychology involved. No one is spared, regardless of race, gender, profession. It is so equal-opportunity, in a sense, that I think it take considerable textual analysis by most audiences to a conclusion on the film's various social and cultural themes. Beyond the larger thematic arcs, some of the smaller arcs, though they reach their destination, feels underdeveloped; for example, the Detective Trevor (Mario Van Peebles, of all people, how awesome is that??) arc with his son. I felt that the film also got bogged down in some of the dialogue between Sara (Saye Yabandeh) and Derek (Corey Sevier) toward the latter portion of the film. And, yes, as some people have mentioned, it can be hard at times to follow the flashbacks and keep track of who is who and what is what. And yes, the end was not exactly a surprise.
All that being said, why do I think this film is worth watching? The one thing I commend Dir. Friedman on is that he is willing to take on such a complex and challenging style of filmmaking. Even after just two years of doing this screener thing, I've seen a number of filmmakers attempt this style of filmmaking and fail horribly. Few filmmakers attempt and succeed, either as a result of poor planning, poor visualization, or poor general vision. You can't just mash things up and hope it sticks. I don't know this for sure, obviously, but I imagine Dir. Friedman put in the necessary work for what I consider a well-executed film. Beyond just that, responding to the previous criticism, I don't fault him for the (seemingly) confusing flashbacks or non-linear storytelling. I admit it confused me a little bit, too, but I was able to puzzle it together. I think it is important to engage the audience and not just passively entertain them, and it speaks of Dir. Friedman's great confidence to trust that audiences will be able to decipher the film's construct. And considering the deep psychological themes involved, I think the piece-by-piece understanding/revealing is appropriate structurally. (Though, since I think it fades in intensity a little toward the latter half, I can't say much about its presence as a whole structure) Finally, Dir. Friedman does a very good job in character development, as Derek and Sara's (both potential and realized) keeps audiences engaged in a what-will-happen-next, what-will-she-do-next suspense.
All considered, I found it to be a very compelling film. It is intense and there isn't much of a break till the latter parts of the film.

Other Films of Note
Kings (Short), Dir. Barbara Mones. (2011)
The Conquest of High Passes, Dir. Wout Conijn. (2011)
East of Berlin (Short), Dir. Dean Yamada. (2011) (IMDB)
Lost Airmen of Buchenwald, Dir. Mike Dorsey. (2011) (IMDB)
Pepper (Short), Dir. Kim Noon. (2011)
The Man Who Knew How to Fly (Short), Dir. Robi Michael. (2010) (IMDB)

Hope people get a chance to go out and support some great films this year at TVIFF 2011. You can visit the website for more information here .