Scenes From Sundance: Be Kind Rewind, Downloading Nancy

Here's more from our Sundance correspondent Audrey Hendrickson, who's been checking out the latest films at the venerable film festival:

Yesterday morning I just barely made it to Michel Gondry's latest film Be Kind Rewind.  The storyline (about video store employees--Mos Def and Jack Black--who must recreate their VHS inventory after erasing all the tapes) is much less important than Gondry's low-tech, arts-and-crafts special effects.  The brilliant French director makes his film pop by using everyday items, like car parts to fashion a Robocop or pizza to serve as a massive head wound.  Who cares about the plot? The man's eccentic vision never fails to wow.

And then there was Downloading Nancy, a film that's beyond difficult to watch.  The subject is a miserable woman (the always fearless Maria Bello), who is desperate for a way out of her current situation.  The film focuses on Nancy's mental illness, as well as the tenuous relationship that exists between her husband (Rufus Sewell) and the new man in her life (Jason Patric).  Downloading Nancy is deliberately provocative, and the violent images of cutting and other self-inflicted sadism caused quite a few audience members to walk out, some in tears.  Sure, it's a well-made film, but with its dark tone and subject matter (and borderline misogyny), how exactly do you market such a downer?

Next up was Just Another Love Story, which so far is one of my favorites of the fest.  The Danish movie's a dark romantic comedy and/or a film noir, but either way, I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up getting an American remake.  Here's the lowdown: a previously content married man witnesses a car accident and ends up posing as one of the victim's boyfriends.  He tries to correct the mistaken identity, but finds himself falling in love with her, all the while piecing together more secrets from her past. So it's kinda like While You Were Sleeping, just twisted, and much much better.

Finally, after a looooong time spent in line, there was Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?, the latest documentary romp from Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me).  Instead of eating his weight in McDonald's food, this time Spurlock's life experiment is traveling across the globe (Egypt, Morocco, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan), trying to find the world's most wanted man.  Spoiler alert:  OBL is still at large.  Spurlock's films always fly by with great pacing and crisp editing, but for the first third of the film, his use of animation is a little OCD.  Yes, he's trying to approach a heavy subject while also keeping things light, but being distracted by the visuals doesn't allow the audience to process the information.  If anything, the most striking set pieces in the film are those presented without comment, and Spurlock should learn to trust his instincts and make use of those moments more.  Still, dear Morgan is a charming film presence (to say the least), and his movie has the potential to reach a lot of people with an important message: ultimately, Osama ain't the problem.

Comments

[tony]

i can't wait to check out the danish flick and the spurlock documentary. thanks for the info!

[amanda]

i love these sundance reports! it makes me very, very jealous though. i'm surprised i hadn't heard much about "just another love story" before...but am now quite excited, especially if the story does not involve sandra bullock.

[ms fat booty]

i love mos def and will watch be kind rewind no matter what anyone says.

[chernus]

"pizza to serve as a massive head wound."

That is amazing. I agree, who needs a plot when you have vision like that. Are you sure this is not a Troma movie? I would love to see Jack Black costar with the Toxic Avenger.

[Caitlin]

Mos Def and Jack Black in a Gondry film? That should be interesting. I can't wait for that one. I could do without the Spurlock documentary, however. His films are so boring and trite. We know McDonald's can't possibly be good for you. We know our education system is flawed. Tell us something new Morgan.

[Caitlin]

Mos Def and Jack Black in a Gondry film? That should be interesting. I can't wait for that one. I could do without the Spurlock documentary, however. His films are so boring and trite. We know McDonald's can't possibly be good for you. We know our education system is flawed. Tell us something new Morgan.

[cassiopeia]

As an ex-video store clerk, this Gondry film has gotten me the most excited I've been about a movie since Clerks.