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Sunday, April 19th

The first one today was a nice treat. The film is called Rain which came from the Bahamas. It follows a young girl named Rain whose caretaker grandmother dies, so she travels to see her mother, who now goes by the name of Glory. Glory is a sad, poor, desperate woman who is into prostitution and drugs. As Rain watches her mother's sad daily life, she is encouraged by a track coach (CCH Pounder, one of only two Americans in the whole film) who thinks she might be able to get a college scholarship and make a better way for her life. This was a really good film with a terrific performanced in the title role by Renel Brown, who was a local Bahamian actress making her film debut. What's really interesting is the film shows a different side of the Bahamas than the paradise that we usually see portrayed in films. The area where Glory lives is a run down slum that no one would want to take a vacation to, and is populated by criminals and other malcontents. It's perhaps not the most original story. There have been tons of coming of age stories where a child tries to use sports to better their situation, and the wise coach is a staple in these types of movies, but the earnest performances make this one stand out. 7/10

This was followed up by an incredibly depressing film called Mississippi Damned. It follows an extended family as they cope with a seemingly unending cycle of drug addiction and abuse. It's clear that this is a very personal story from writer-director Tina Mabry. The film's main focus is on three children caught up in this mess, presumably different incarnations of the director's own childhood. This is an uncomfortable film that doesn't pull any punches. It explores some really dark aspects of the human condition, and shows how hard it can be for the young people growing up in that situation to escape their circumstances. There are some veteran character actors (my fellow geeks will recognize DB Woodside from the final season of Buffy), but I was especially impressed with the younger actors, who give very mature performance. This certainly isn't a fun movie, but it is made with alot of passion and talent and has a rewarding ending. 8/10

The only documentary I saw today was Training Rules, which exposes Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland's guideline that prohibits lesbian players on her team. Portland was coach of Penn State for almost three decades and had a very successful run over that time. The film interviews past players, some of whom were dismissed or decided to quit after Portland explained the rules to them. The central focus is a lawsuit filed by Jennifer Harris, who claims Portland dismissed her from the team after her sophomore season solely because she's a lesbian. While much of what is talked about is anecdotal, Portland actually was quoted in a news article, saying she wouldn't have it in her program and a PSU internal investigation found she had created a hostile environment for her players. Unfortunately, the documentary is pretty straightforward and feels more like a news story than a film. Still, the interviews do capture the emotional turmoil that Portland's policies caused for her players. 6/10

The Atlanta Film Festival seems to have a love affair with films about poor teenagers with sick mothers, and their attempts to use athletic skills to help their mother and themselves (Saint Ralph is the best example of this). We've already seen Rain earlier today, and the next film Playing for Charlie fits that bill. Tony Hobbs is a 16 yr old who is great at Australian Rules Football, and hopes to get selected on the national team one day. His quest is complicated by the need to take care of his baby brother while his mother (who has MS) works nights as a telemarketer. This one is filled with all of the cliches of the genre, including the wise old coach trying to help the boy through. Unlike Rain, this film is unable to rise above the cliches. Part of the problem is a stupid subplot about Tony's half-brother trying to get him involved in crime and a romantic subplot that seemed tacked on at the last minute. The actors do an adequate job, but the direction is uneven, particularly failing at really showing how good Tony is at football. 4/10

The night closed out with my first shorts program of the evening, Animation Extravaganza 2 (Animation 1 comes tomorrow). This is always one of the most popular programs of the festival, and I've seen some great shorts in the past. There were 12 shorts in this program, but I missed the first two due to overlap with the previous film. Most of the films included in this program were strong.

The Greatest Moment in the History of the Universe... Ever is the humorous history of the Earth told from the perspective of a little girl. (7/10)

One of the strongest is Sebastian's Voodoo, which is about a tortured voodoo doll that tries to rescue his friends. This is a very clever film with a surprisingly moving ending. (9/10)

Unbeleivable 4 is a funny 80s style MTV music video with animated versions of Bush, Cheney, Rice, and Rumsfeld performing as the band. (8/10)

Symphony is a pretty simple film that follows a little inkblot as it moves to the sounds of Vivaldi. (6/10)

The funniest was certainly Window Pains, which follows the exploits of a man trying to figure out what is wrong with his computer and dealing with useless tech support. The guy only talks in mumbled language, but anyone who's ever had PC issues will certainly understand every hilarious word he says. (9/10)

The program concluded with the latest from Nick Park, Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death. The latest adventure finds the two trying to dodge a serial killer and both getting caught up in romantic possibilities. This fits right in with the fast paced, hilarious work that Park has delivered in the past with these characters. The only drawback is that the mystery is completely obvious, but that's where most of the humor comes from so it's not really a problem. (8/10)

Overall Program Rating: 8/10