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Song of Solomon

No one who has seen a baby sinking back satiated from the breast and falling asleep with flushed cheeks and a blissful smile can escape the reflection that this picture persists as a prototype of the expression of sexual satisfaction in later life.
-- Sigmund Freud

Saturday, May 24, 1997

One of the consequences of going to the film festival is that I don't usually get to the Folklife Festival, which is held at Seattle Center, home of the Seattle World's Fair. It's certainly something I would go to otherwise!

The Rules of Romance
Five shorts supposedly about love and romance, but some may have been included because there was no other place to put them.

Anna/In the Sky
Written and directed by Mark Edgington. Some great images and a few funny moments.

Red Sky at Night
A couple on a singles canoeing expediton in the East River gets carried away. I like the surreal images, and the dialog was good too.

Didactic Encounter
Truely sweet and nice. Kym is entralled with spending the first date with Brad in bed, like John and Yoko.

Goiter Boy
Blah. Message here is that the "in" crowd in high school can be cruel to those that are "different." What a shock! Although a bit of a twist at the end, when goiter boy and another character both seem turned on by each other's deformities.

The Man Who Counted
This is the one that didn't seem like a romance at all! Buck Henry is a man with obsessive/compulsive disorder; Shirley Knight is his wife trying to deal with him counting the sheets on the roll of toilet paper and weighing sacks of potatoes. Beautifully shot here in the northwest. Don't get me wrong, this was an interesting, enjoyable film, but these themes for short programs can be problematic.

The Other Side of Sunday
Norwegian. Maria, the minister's daughter, feels trapped by family and parish expectations of her behavior. Very good! The lead actress, Marie Theisen making her screen debut, was very compelling. Recommended.

Star Maps
Another good one! A Latino boy wants to make it in Hollywood, but first his father wants him to work in the family business -- selling star maps and going on "dates"! Great script, great cast, great look.

The Tit and the Moon
I was looking forward to this because I enjoyed an earlier film by director Bigas Luna. Jamon, Jamon from a few years ago was extraordinary, a sexy, humorous, earthy film from Spain. His second film, Golden Balls, wasn't as great. This film was in the middle. Another comedy set in Catalonia, it's mostly from the viewpoint of a young boy feeling displaced by the birth of a young brother. Where will our hero find a breast for himself, now that there is no room at his mother's? Luna has a strong interest in bodily fluids and excretions, so this isn't for the easily offended, but the emotions are very tender and real.

So tomorrow, off to the Secret Festival!

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