The film festival still has another week to run, so my goals for this week are much the same as last week: keep working on the book as much as I can between movies and work. I got a little bit done last week, and hope to get a little more done this week.
On another note, I got an idea for a book last night, from one of the films I saw. Not sure it will come to anything, but it's certainly an interesting premise. I will keep mulling on it for a while and see if it comes to anything.
And now, let me tell you about the films I've seen since Friday.
What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael: A doco about film critic extraordinaire, Pauline Kael. It was really interesting, but could very easily have been a television doco, despite being about the cinema, But I enjoyed it anyway. That woman could eviscerate a film if she didn't like it!
The Amazing Johnathan Documentary: This was one of my favorite kind of docos, one where what the film started out being about was not at all what the film ended up being about. In this one, a filmmaker making a documentary about a dying magician known as The Amazing Johnathan ends up making a film about making a film after The Amazing Johnathan hires another doco crew to document his life at the same time. I still can't figure out how much of this story is real and how much is fake, but it was a fascinating story anyway.
Leftover Women: This documentary is about unmarried Chinese women over the age of about 26. In a society where men outnumber women by 30 million, any woman who is not married before she's 30 is considered a 'leftover woman'. This film follows three such women as they try to find a match, satisfy their parents' expectations and find happiness. It was really sad, and I didn't feel like it was very conclusive. None of the three women seemed truly happy with the choices they made over the course of the film.
Jawline: This was another documentary, this time about the internet phenomena which allows very pretty, non-threatening young boys to become superstars because insecure young girls can watch and engage with them online. It follows a guy from the middle of nowhere Tennessee as he builds his following, gets picked up by a manager and goes on tour where he appears at meet and greet sessions with these girls. I totally don't understand this whole thing, but I found the film totally fascinating because it's a world I know nothing about. It's also a little terrifying...
Will catch you up on the next ones on Friday. What are your goals this week?
It sounds like you definitely saw some interesting films and documentaries. I hadn't heard about "leftover women"- and the description makes me feel sad for the women. Trying to find someone, just to find someone- doesn't sound like a good way to spend your life. I am sure it gives people a lot to think about when watching.
ReplyDeleteJawline also sounds intriguing and terrifying. I guess that one is also about something I really know nothing about. I am sure it would be eye-opening for sure!
Thanks for sharing!
~Jess
Leftover Women sounds especially depressing. There's definitely too much emphasis on being married (not just in China).
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