The Seattle International Film Festival is underway. At first I wondered why they would schedule a film festival here just when the weather is starting to get more pleasant, but then I reasoned that it might not be good public health policy to encourage people to spend any more time indoors in the dark than they already do during the winter.
Over the weekend, David and I saw "Captain Ahab," a French film directed by Philippe Ramos; it's a prequel to Moby-Dick which portrays Ahab's life from childhood on, through the perspectives of five different narrators. We didn't care for it too much. Part of the problem was that, perhaps unfairly, we were having trouble accepting this French-language take on a revered classic American novel. The scenery and atmosphere did not evoke New England to us, either, and that's so much a part of the mythology of Moby-Dick in our minds that it made it harder for us to get into the film. Perhaps more fairly, I didn't think the film offered enough fresh insight into the character of Ahab. Ah, well — such is the potluck of a film festival.
We also saw "Garden Party," directed by Jason Freeland. It's the story of five characters whose lives intersect in Los Angeles. We really enjoyed this one. It was very well cast and had some good moments of humor and drama. The director and producer were there at the screening, which they said was only the second screening the film had ever had in front of an audience. Ah — such is the coolness factor of a film festival!
More to come in the next couple of weeks...
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