The PDX Fest, Day 2.4

9:30pm Screening: five films/videos

Films and videos screened: "Twenty Minutes," 35mm, 3'00, Kevin Jerome Everson; "Branson: Musicland USA," 35mm, 10'00, Peter Sillen; "Grand Luncheonette," 16mm, 5'00, Peter Sillen; "High Plains Winter," video, 10'00, Cindy Stillwell; "Who Is Bozo Texino?," 16mm, S8, video, 55'00, Bill Daniel.

"Twenty Minutes"
Afraid I have no recollection of this film. It is described in the program as follows: "Twenty Minutes" is about understanding materials and Leonardo Da Vinci."

"Branson: Musicland USA" and "Grand Luncheonette"
Since both of these are by the same filmmaker, I'll combine them into one review. Personally I enjoyed "Grand Luncheonette" more than "Branson: Musicland USA." But both are pretty nice films. I think the specificity of the former helps as it is about a hot dog storefront in Times Square on the edge of extinction, whereas the latter is about the vibe of an entire city. Also, I found the MTV stylings of "Branson" (blurred shutter speeds, editing based primarily on motion and composition) a bit distancing, though I was pleased that the film chose to go "off the tour bus" to at least approach some of the downsides of this kind of "designed entertainment." "Grand Luncheonette" was also more successful for me because the film seemed focused on capturing a moment in time, and the loss--historical and neighborly--that the closing of the Luncheonette would engender, and which has been almost completely devastated in the "mallification" of Manhattan. I'd like to see "Grand Luncheonette" again. I'd be less inclined to revisit "Branson".

"High Plains Winter"
This video had several surprises in store for the audience. What starts as a landscape study turns into coverage of skiers pulled by horses in a contest to grab hoops and negotiate jumps and obstacles, which then morphs back into an experimental landscape study. This is kind of a strange film, but I liked it. I call it strange in regard to the unexpected turns it takes and how it depicts the landscape wherein it takes place. But the film is quite accessible and experimental at the same time. I particularly liked how, during the races, the filmmaker returns to moments just witnessed, but not quite fully experienced because of their startling brevity, and during that revisit, breaks the action down into its dramatic components. One example would be when a horse slips and falls on ice, dumping and injuring its rider. I also liked the initial poetic depictions of the truly harsh winter landscape that can be quite life threatening if one doesn't take care to respect it. Lastly, I also liked the revisiting of that landscape, during less harsh times, and the more formal method of framing and analyzing that landscape.

"Who Is Bozo Texino?"
There is a lot of energy in this piece, and most of it is upbeat. When questioned by an audience member about how the piece didn't deal with any of the darker issues of being a hobo, Bill readily admitted that it was kind of a puff piece in that respect. I'm glad he said that because if he hadn't so readily admitted it I think I would have had trouble just accepting the film as is, even though I was grooving on the experience. But with Bill's caveat in mind, this really is a film full of joy and respect for personal choice, as well as recognition for personal achievement regardless of what society thinks of "the hobo life." The film hops around quite a bit, suggesting a quest to find out who is Bozo Texino. It is almost as if one day Bill said "let's hop on a train and try to find out who this train tagger is." While that is the form the film takes, this is a film that Bill has spent years building. The film is rough and bumpy--appropriate for a film shot on box cars and flatbeds, and built on moments captured over years of travel--and that helps to charge the film with a pretty raw energy. At times, though, there was also a kind of ghostly feeling to the film, as if I were witnessing people I'd never see again, or wonder if I ever really met them. Shadows from figures in open boxcar doors, the sun shining and casting their shadows on the passing and variegated surfaces, feet extending out from under the camera and bouncing precariously on a speeding boxcar, people on blankets at the opposite end of the boxcar from the camera, all contributed to this feeling of temporary and fleeting meetings. On the other end of the spectrum, conversations with taggers and the elusive character of Bozo were quite intimate and collegial. People, like in all true "communities," seemed to be aware of the goings on of other members of the community, if even only tangentially or through hearsay. This is not a "direct message" film, but there is much to be gleaned from it about personal pride, hubris, shared life choices, and nomadic existence. Also distinctions. There is a great section of the film where people talk about the differences between hobos, tramps and bums. This is a very important section in my opinion as, being a film about outsiders, the personal distinctions help to confront societal homogenizations that reduce people to things, wiping out their perceived humanity in a flash. This film does a lot to confront such superficial readings, even if it is a puff piece as Bill said.

I don't want this review to get too long, but I'd also like give mention to the visual and editorial qualities of this film. As I mentioned, there is great energy in this film, but there is also a sharp sense of progression and focus that is not easy to cull from such diverse, random, and long term collections of material. It must have taken a lot of dedication to bring this film to completion.