EVENT COVERAGE

Seattle Int'l Film Festival 2003

Around the World in 25 Days

- 29th Seattle International Film Festival Comes to a Rousing Close
 

By Sara Michelle Fetters

As the 29th Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) came to a conclusion Sunday night, I couldn’t help but think this quite possibly might be the best SIFF I’ve been to. The films this year were so strong and so diverse, that it was nigh impossible to not find something to just completely adore. From a strong slate of impressive documentaries to earth shattering works from acclaimed directors and novices across the globe, the quality level was kept at such a strong peek that as a critic and a movie lover the ’03 festival was brilliantly rapturous.

At the same time, I was also hit with a huge degree of regret. Of the Seattle festivals I have covered for MovieFreak since 2001 this was the one I had been the most remiss in getting to screenings. I managed over 80 films in ’01 and almost that same amount in ’02, sitting through dog and superstar alike. But this year for a variety of reasons; health, family and outside commitments; I managed just 27 films. With a smorgasbord of over 200 to choose from that’s a pretty pathetic number indeed.

So what. From my first major interview with an actual honest to goodness movie star (the supremely sexy and talented Aidan Quinn) to seeing films that were as close to perfection as cinema can get, SIFF ’03 was a wonderful experience that I’ll cherish for quite some time.

Major highlights for me have to be led off by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini ingenious American Splendor. Based on the cult underground comic book of the same name by Harvey Pekar, this is a movie that’s part narrative fiction, part observationist comedy, part quirky documentary and all completely original in its brilliance. Featuring a truly inspired performance from the gifted character actor Paul Giamatti and intermixing current and archival footage of the real Harvey, American Splendor is the real deal in out-of-the box filmmaking. Berman and Pulcini bring the cantankerous story of Harvey and his life to the screen in winning nuance and detail, and it’s easy to see why this film was the Grand Jury Award winner at the Sundance Film Festival.

Not to be outdone, though, was Niki Caro’s awesome Whale Rider. Another award winner at Sundance, this story of a Maori community struggling to find a new leader and the young girl (Keisha Castle-Hughes) who dares to wonder why she can’t be considered for the post is a sparse, majestic tale of innocence and passion. In fact, this was the ’03 Golden Space Needle audience award winner for best film and best director. Releasing to general audiences later this month, Whale Rider is certain to find mass appeal beyond its limited independently produced budget, sweeping more crowds under its charming spell.

Surprisingly, though, newcomer Castle-Hughes was only the runner-up for the Space Needle award for best actress, losing to South Korean Moon So-ri of Lee Chang-dong’s polarizing Oasis. About an outcast who first molests than befriends and finally falls in love with a young woman with cerebral palsy, Oasis is shot in a loose, documentary-like style that immerses the viewer directly into its surreal and sentimental story. Personally, I had trouble getting past some of the more distasteful elements of the screenplay. Still, both So-ri and fellow award winner for best actor Seol Kyung-gu are masterful, most deserving of the recognition.

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