Watch This, Boston: 2010 Independent Film Festival of Boston Preview

By Norm Schrager at April 20, 2010 | 10:26 pm | Print

The 2010 edition of the coolest film festival in the Northeast (no offense, Tribeca!) is about to begin. And Meet In the Lobby is proud to offer this grab bag of movies from the 8th Independent Film Festival Boston, a selection of narrative and documentary features you’ll wanna check out. If you like what you read, you can grab tickets by clicking on the titles. You’re welcome.

:: Phillip the Fossil
If you, or someone you know, is a Masshole, you simply cannot miss this film. Boston indie filmmaker Garth Donovan steeps this one in a seriously authentic Boston-area vibe, telling the story of a crude, hard-drinking guy on the edge of 30, still dabbling with reckless teenage behavior. As the title character, newcomer Brian Hasenfus (right) absolutely nails the big, charming, street-corner attitude, a performance that’s already won him an acting prize from the South by Southwest jury. Donovan sold scrap metal for a year to help fund the film — eat that, Hollywood. Remarkably cast, exceptionally well-directed and edited. A personal favorite.

:: On the Other Side of Life
You wouldn’t expect to find cinematic poetry in the story of two South African brothers awaiting a murder trial, but here you go. In a destitute section of Cape Town — described in the film as the very edge of the entire world — the Nxele brothers stick together like glue as they head for manhood in two very different ways: Within the justice system that may imprison them, and within the ritual world of circumcision and reflection. A film of subtle contradictions and empowering brotherly love. Thursday night’s IFFB screening is an official “Sneak Preview,” the first Northeast exhibition of the movie.

:: Down Terrace
Why are British mobsters so funny? Director / co-writer Ben Wheatley has an idea or two, in this smart, sly award-winner. A father and son return home from prison to chill out, manage their “business,” and try to find the rat bastard in their midst. (“Rat bastard” sounds great with the UK accents.) Has grit, heart and a hearty sense of humor, with nods to everything from Dr. Timothy Leary to Lady Macbeth. Co-writer Robin Hill (right) is fierce and fiery (and funny) as son Karl.

:: Erasing David
No, it’s not a sci-fi brain fryer. It’s a documentary about our data privacy — or severe lack thereof. When a British guy named David Bond is told his information has been compromised, he wonders if he can actually disappear successfully, despite the sheer amount of his life’s details out there to be snagged. He packs up, leaves his pregnant wife and baby daughter, and challenges two PIs to find him in less than a month. Bond, who created the film with Melinda McDougall, has big ambitions and good thinking, even if the execution feels occasionally manufactured.

:: The Parking Lot Movie
Yes, it’s a documentary film about a parking lot, but not just any parking lot. It’s a famed plot of land opposite the University of Virginia, a living, breathing sociology project, where a quirky collection of slacker intellectuals run the show while drunks, alumni and the terminally rude roll in as the patrons. There are parking cone games, chasing down non-payers and tons of useless philosophy. Of course, it’s easy to hate the establishment and join in the erudite rebellion — then you realize the parking lot guys are ultimately as closed-minded as the people they despise. In their own way, of course. Some genuinely funny stuff, with some definitely annoying people. On both sides of the gate.

:: The Oath
This two-time Sundance award nominee (it won for Best Documentary Cinematography) tells the story of two men changed forever by the 2001 terrorist attacks — one of whom is never seen. The first is Osama bin Laden’s former bodyguard, a man who became a Yemeni cab driver after a jail sentence that had him behind bars during the attacks. The second is bin Laden’s personal driver, a low-level guy with apparently no knowledge of the attack plans, who sits imprisoned in Guantanamo. That’s just part of the story: The guys are brothers-in-law, the first helping the other get the driving job.

Let us know what you see and what you think…
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