Watched MY LIFE WITHOUT ME, an old favorite indie movie of mine, on dvd last night. Forgot how great it was. It stars Sarah Polley as a 23 year old mother who sees her life as a failure. She had the first of two children at and early age and now works nights as a janitor at a college she could never afford to attend. One day she finds out she has terminal cancer. She makes a list of things to do before she dies but decides to keep the news to herself.
When I first heard about this 2003 movie I had reservations. It could very well have been a cliche tearjerker. Rather it is a very interesting emotional indie film with great performances. (...and it has a Blossom Dearie song in it!)
The film also features Amanda Plummer, Scott Speedman, Mark Ruffalo, and Blondie's Deborah Harry.
Let me start out by saying I am so excited for some amazing Summer Blockbusters.... Sex and the City, Mamma Mia, The Dark Knight, Wanted, Mamma Mia!, and opening this week -- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
In addition to INDY and friends there are some INDIE films I'm very excited about.
First up is SON OF RAMBOW. It is about 2 british boys who film their own movie about their hero Rambo. Here's the trailer.
Here are 2 films that focus on teen life. The first is a documentary following 4 teenagers going to high school in a small town in Indiana. It is called AMERICAN TEEN.
Next is GO GETTER. It's a coming of age story about a boy ("Thumbsucker's" Lou Taylor Pucci) who steals a car and goes off to find his long lost brother after the death of his mother. Also stars Zooey Deschanel and Jena Malone.
And we must have a quirky comedy for the summer. Here's hoping HAMLET 2 delivers. The school is about to shut down the drama department, so the drama director/failed actor (Steve Coogan) decides write an original (very politically incorrect) musical sequel to Hamlet. (Also features Catherine Keener, David Arquette, Elizabeth Shue, and the fabulous Amy Poehler.
Finally, I HIGHLY recommend THE VISITOR. I just saw it this week and LOVED it! The Visitor is the 2nd film by writer/director Thomas McCarthy. His debut movie THE STATION AGENT is one of my favorite films.... EVER!
Both movies have a wonderful theme on the connections we make with other people. Sometimes the most important moments of human connection in our life come from people with whom we assume we have nothing in common. We all live in our own "little world," and are quite happy doing so. I believe these 2 films celebrate the fact that sometimes we need those "little worlds" to collide in order to fully realize our humanity. (Sorry that was either very profound or very Hallmark!) The brilliance of these films is that this is shown in small snapshots of life. They are lessons in the subtlety of storytelling... where so much can be revealed in understatement.
Please check out THE VISITOR and definitely rent THE STATION AGENT.
THE VISITOR - Starring Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Gurira, and Haim Abbas
THE STATION AGENT - Peter Dinklage, Bobby Cannavale, and wonderful Patricia Clarkson
