If distributors came to Fantastic Fest this year looking for the next Timecrimes, and badge holders descended hungry for a peek at the next There Will Be Blood, it’s interesting that one of the most talked about films on the schedule has ended up being not a world premiere, not a surprise preview of an Oscar contender, not an unknown international oddity, and not even, really, a genre film, but a documentary made by an American 25 year-old which has been on the festival circuit for nine months.
And yet, the popularity of I Think We’re Alone Now (otherwise known as The Tiffany Stalker Movie) at Fantastic Fest makes a certain perfect sense, and not just because this audience is accustomed to stories of sexual obsession (usually fictional, usually much gorier). In putting a camera in the faces of two lonely, mentally unwell adults, who are both desperate for the attention but incapable of filtering their stories, director Sean Donnelly has made what could be classified as an exploitation film. But even more appropriate for the venue, it’s an exploitation film tailor-made for anyone familiar with unrequited longing, and it wouldn’t work at all if Donnelly’s genuine care for his subjects didn’t shine through.
This morning, I flew down to to Austin, where Fantastic Fest kicks off tomorrow with the U.S. premiere of Kevin Smith’s Zach and Miri Make a Porno, to be followed by the Air Sex World Championships. But it’s not all public pornography: Fantastic Fest has put five features and five shorts from their 2008 lineup online for free viewing, and as far as I can tell, none of them involve fake orgasms (although one is advertised with a picture of a French guy clutching his own nipple as if in the throes of madness). Highlights include the Tiffany superfan doc I Think We’re Alone Now, and La Creme (that’s the one with the nipple), in which an “unemployed loser” who “mysteriously finds a jar of face cream that once applied, temporarily turns him into the most famous celebrity in France.” All that and more is waiting for you here.
The Playlist points to the trailer for I Think We’re Alone Now, a documentary about stalkers/devoted fans of late 80s teen pop tart Tiffany, which will debut at Slamdance next month. The film centers on two fans, the creepier of whom is seen standing in the front row of a modern-day Tiffany show, despite the fact that the singer apparently got a restraining order against him during her heyday. The whole thing looks extremely creepy, but my favorite part is an exchange at the end, where a normal Tiffany fan has her relationship to Tiffany questioned by the aforementioned creepazoid. Ick.
For more info on the film, including Slamdance screening times, check out its website.
We’ve had a bit of trouble getting this episode to go through the iTunes feed, so we hope this re-post will fix the problem. The original post, with episode description and embedded player, is here.
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This morning, I flew down to to Austin, where Fantastic Fest kicks off tomorrow with the U.S. premiere of Kevin Smith’s Zach and Miri Make a Porno, to be followed by the Air Sex World Championships. But it’s not all public pornography: Fantastic Fest has put five features and five shorts from their 2008 lineup online for free viewing, and as far as I can tell, none of them involve fake orgasms (although one is advertised with a picture of a French guy clutching his own nipple as if in the throes of madness). Highlights include the Tiffany superfan doc I Think We’re Alone Now, and La Creme (that’s the one with the nipple), in which an “unemployed loser” who “mysteriously finds a jar of face cream that once applied, temporarily turns him into the most famous celebrity in France.” All that and more is waiting for you here.
