Best March Event in Town

From The Cleveland International Film Festival website

Since Wednesday, March 19, my time has been spent sitting in a dark theater watching countless films at the Cleveland International Film Festival. Hence, March is my favorite month because I can see a variety of films normally not shown at your neighborhood movie theater. From documentaries, short subjects to narratives, whatever you like to see, they have it. So incredible.

How many films did I watch?

My magic number was twenty-four. My total films I was able to watch. Not bad! It might sound like a lot but individuals who buy passes (this gives filmgoers the flexibility to see any film and watch as many films as their heart desires) can see upwards of sixty-six if they watch six per day for eleven days. It is doable, but not recommended. I saw six films once and by the time I was on my sixth one, my brain was inoperable. I walked out of the theater with a glazed look on my face not thinking about the film I just watched. I needed to get out into the fresh air. Hence, all the films begin to blur together.

The beauty of buying a pass is the ability to choose a film on the “fly.” What this means is: if you hear what audiences are saying about a film, you can decide to see something else without worrying that you just bought a ticket to a certain film. Once you buy a ticket, you are locked into that film. You can decide to sell it or exchange it for a fee. 

What I traditionally do: I read the entire guide, mark notes which ones are documentaries, thrillers, comedies and check the ones that I have an interest in. What happened this year is most of the films that I picked didn’t exhibit the long lines; hence, I adjusted my picks based on what others have gravitated towards. 

You may have thought I bought tickets, not necessarily. I volunteer every year so at the end of my shift, I receive “two vouchers” that is turned in for tickets. Most of the time it works out well; other times when the film is on “stand by” you give the desk your “voucher” and pray that you get into the film after everyone else. Usually it’s not a problem – they seat you where you might not have the best seat, but your “in.” What happened this year, everyone wanted to see “The Verdict” and by the time I heard “the buzz” I was too late in securing a ticket. I got a “stand by” ticket but they were not seating any “stand by.” This is a rarity, but it has happened because of the record breaking crowds. My recommendation - Buy your tickets early.

The Ballot

Quite honestly, I’m not exactly sure when I became such a film buff. I always enjoyed seeing movies but not the passion I currently have where I scrutinize all elements of the film: is it a good story, it is beautiful to watch, are the characters interesting, the dialogue (writing) is original and tight editing where it moves along at a good clip. This is what I think about when I cast my ballot for “excellent” or if the story and/or dialogue is idiotic it will receive a “fair.” I gave more “fair” ratings than I usually do and I’m embarrassed to admit, a few more “excellence.” It seems like I love the film right when I watch it then when I see something else the following day, I kick myself that I gave the rating that I did. Frustrating at times!

I can honestly say that there were a lot of well made films – a few that stick out: “The Auction,” ( a quiet film about an elderly gentleman who inherits a farm and he ends up auctioning it off throwing him into a new world that he hasn’t experienced in a long time; “The Ferry,” another quiet film about an elderly Chinese man who ferries individuals from one end of the river to the next. The cinematography was gorgeous and light on dialogue but it was just beautiful; “The Longest Distance” where a woman gets cancer and decides to take her own life on her own terms. Again, a beautiful film that was well written and the characters had depth that struck your emotions that I couldn’t stop thinking about well after I left (An Award Winner). “Obvious Child” that was not on my radar but as I was volunteering the night before, I saw a lot of people going into the theater. The film opens up with a woman comedian delivering her monologue that was “raw.” I quickly thought, why did I get a ticket for this film? However to my surprise, I really, really enjoyed it because it was not trite where you knew what was going to happen in all those romantic comedies. I was impressed – a well written comedy where I laughed and cried at the same time. For a documentary, I loved “Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia” where Gore just told it how it was. He didn’t care if you agreed with him or not. I didn’t agree with everything he said, but I respect his view point. This film was on my maybe list and turned out to be a delight. 

I can go on and on which films I loved and the ones I didn’t. Not everyone has the same opinion on films; that is why film like any other artistic medium is very subjective. As I mentioned above, I stood in the “stand by” line for “The Verdict,” and I didn’t get in. They added a screening and I was so excited to see it and what happened, I was bored to tears. Everyone loved it and my opinion was that it needed more editing – way too long. That’s how it goes. You never know if you will be enamored or bored – the beauty of The Cleveland International Film Festival. You will always be amazed by the films that you see, not normally seen in your neighborhood. 

I realize March is over and April is half way done but Cleveland has so many gems like a film festival primarily in one spot. 

The Cleveland International Film Festival
March 18 - 29 2015 
http://www.clevelandfilm.org