A CUORE CHIUSO
“Beautiful. Beautifully acted. Beautifully shot. Tender and moving. Thank you for this film.
A Cuore Chiuso was one of my favorite films in the showcase. The lead actress/writer, Simona Sciarabba knocked my socks off! Beautifully acted, subtle with so much going on behind the eyes. The first scene rushing through the hospital looking for her mother drew me right in, all done in one long take, with the frustration and horror of seeing a parent taken into an operating room. Her sadness was very affecting. The entire cast was excellent. The dismissive aunt. The overindulgent, bothersome but loving mother. The father who is a bit distant. Why wasn’t he at the hospital?? All the way down to the smug doctors who throw a lot of jargon at you. All perfectly cast. (I had a very similar incident happen with my father as I was sitting in a waiting room when a code-blue alarm went off and I watched an army of doctors and nurses rush to his recovery room. Gut wrenching because you feel so powerless.)
The shot selections were excellent. Like the father who was shot almost from directly behind, because you see him not being a comfort to her. And she goes looking for that comfort on a trip to the sea.
The first viewing I did not make the connection of Anna closing her heart. (I should have read the Italian title translation I suppose) I thought Anna was just too upset to go visit her mother. Too upset to talk to her dad. But on second viewing I felt that she was closing down because she had lost the mother she had known. I wanted to see more of the mother/daughter relationship after the operation. What caused her to close her heart. Or maybe the heart closing was happening before, in the waiting room with her mother.
The last shot of the lipstick tissue was a beautiful callback to the mom’s tissue. (My mother used to spit in a tissue to clean our faces when we were little and I could always smell her lipstick on it.)
Skylar did a great job of editing. I loved the lingering shots especially the lonely, emptiness of the pasta meal. Where food is prepared but no one comes to enjoy it. Life goes on, the food is the same but life is not. And there was so much was in Anna’s eyes. You better get her signed up for your next film before she becomes too much in demand. She is so wonderful.
I did not even notice there was no music until after my second viewing. I did not miss it. I did not need it to tell me what to feel, the music was in the performances and lyrical camera work. I could watch more of Anna’s journey. Does her heart ever open up again? How does it affect her romantic relationships? Is the lipstick on the napkin telling us she will end up like her mother?
Just Beautiful. You should be very proud of it and all those involved.” – Daniel Hagen
VISITOR
“This 12-minute gem is as potent as a studio thriller”
– Beverly Walker
“In Visitor, Eddie King brings a heartbreaking, tender read to Leon, a damaged soul struggling to make sense of life many years past his wartime experience. Caring for his granddaughter allows some sweetness to fill his days, but when the specter (or is it really him?) of an old war buddy suddenly appears, he’s left to tangle, literally and figuratively, with the past. Both actors bring their characters painful life, with King grounding the short, but provocative and profound story, with his stellar performance. A touching piece of work, with so much conveyed in such a short period of time.”
– Lorraine Devon Wilke
“Is he a visitor? I’m thinking he’s a frequent one if not in essence a constant companion. Eerie – bit like a Twilight Zone – always grounded somewhat in reality or experience. Substantial show for 12 minutes! B&W a perfect choice.”
– Lindsay Anderson
PORCH LIGHT
“In a word, Porch Light is a hoot! Frankly, any film that gives us the opportunity to see Eddie King’s bare butt has got to have literary merit, right? 🙂 Julie Bergeron’s irreverent mash-up of “old west +The Bachelor” gives Eddie and his able foil, Steve Hofvendahl, plenty of dry, wicked dialogue to play with, which they do with verve, leading us to the preposterous but wild conclusion of this hilarious short.”
– Lorraine Devon Wilke
KING OF THE ROAD
“I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the Elvis documentary that I watched during your incredible film festival.
To be honest, at first I thought, “What? Elvis? Really?” and I wasn’t sure I would watch the entire film… but as it evolved I realized what an interesting story this truly is. I became fascinated at first just by the fact that anyone is still impersonating Elvis. But then as the movie continued I realized there’s something deeper going on. I loved the way the filmmaker dove into his family. Getting to know about his past and that his father left and his mother raised all those children alone!?… That really grabbed me.
Then to learn that he had a son that he really loved and that his son passed away was so heartbreaking. My love for this guy really grew as the movie went on. People seem to really like him and say what a kind heart he has… I just found the whole thing so moving.
Thank the filmmaker so much for making it! The film really shed some light on a very interesting, kind hearted man :)”
– Alison Martin
LAY-BY
“Great combo of music, image, place & time! Beautifully connected. Nice!”
– Lindsay Anderson
ROSE IS A ROSE IS A ROSE
“This was exactly what I needed. It was great to finally see this and relive the memories of the shoot. It came together amazingly! Great work everyone! I have been considering building another catapult.
-William Berkowitz Jr.
“Great short comedy with one of my favorite actresses Patricia Tallman”
-Alex
“Quirky & fun…and I liked the touching ending with the coffee froth blessing smile & wink… gave me a warm fuzzy smile… :-)”
-Sal Nocitra
“It was so great to finally see this! It gave me lots of much needed laughs both the first time and on rewatch.”
-Avery Edits
“Great short and very funny. Great job by actors and crew to make this short feel real and genuine. Also, Patricia Tallman is the best and a fav actress of mine. So underrated so it’s great to see her in this:)”
-Mr. CoCoNuts
“This is wonderful. Funny, charming, sad, and sweet… it has all the feels.”
-Sigyn X120
“Thank you, that was wonderful and a joyful funny watch. Splendid casting and a terrific script. A special thanks to Patricia Tallman for the link.”
-Michael Poland
“What a lovely piece of filmmaking! Great work from all involved. Bravo, Dan Hagen! A moving, understated performance. A sweet story, wonderfully told. Thanks for this!!”
-Paul Eiding
That was funny and good..
-Thomas Gasaway
Big time, I like it.
-Bodo Gross
Always nice to see Patricia Tallman.
-tubeyoupmj7
Well done folks!
-Dale Platt
Well done! And very sweet.
-Ile N
“Whew! Magic!”
-Mel Poux