Cucalorus Reflection

Cucalorus 2014 in November was the first film festival of its size I had yet attended, and Visions 2014 in April was the first film festival I had attended at all. Cucalorus as a whole was an eye-opener in a multitude of ways; primarily, it brought to my attention how exhilarating it can be to have a film you’ve made screened and to get to know great new artists with similar interests, and it also made me realize how limited the content of a regular movie theater truly is.

Ambitious, different, and unique films are released around the world and across America every year, but most still land within the straight-edged box that is commercial filmmaking. While I do prefer narrative and “commercial” films over the other forms, I also very much enjoy the experience of seeing a work of pure cinematic storytelling and experimentation (that’s more than just a 10-minute-or-less short) on a big screen. Being at Cucalorus last weekend really made me realize how seldom I do that.

The film that, to me, was the “zenith” of a downtown film festival experience was I Am a Knife with Legs. Its humor and style were like exaggerated versions of Tenacious D, Tim & Eric, Flight of the Conchords, and something new entirely. Tastes of that movie’s nature could be seen on any TV channel or regular Hollywood movie, but nothing to its full extent would be available. That film was genuinely ridiculous, and I write that about it in the best way possible. Its dry and dark and kitsch humor was so aberrant that even I was a bit alienated by it. Over the next few days my opinion of it became more and more positive, as I thought about it more. That’s a sign of a unique film experience.

Bennett “Bené” Jones’s guest appearance made it even more special. We asked a few questions as he gave a Q&A in character, and it was a special surprise feeling; here I saw this absurd and enjoyable film from a hermit’s cave in a different planet, and then I saw the main character in the room with us, playing guitar while serenading the crowd about birds’ wings. Abhole T-shirts became a reality, and I realized that Cucalorus was a special event that I’d like to show a film in.