The Spout guys returned from Telluride exhausted but full of stories and commentary. To help them sum up their experience I asked them to give me these things:

5 favorite films
4 interesting people
3 favorite spots
2 memorable moments
1 way the festival changed you

Today, Paul fills in the blanks. Make sure to read his posts for more meat. More to come soon from the other guys.

5 favorite films:

- Day Night Day Night (check out my post and podcast)
- Maldonne (I wrote a post)
- Little Children (I talked to the director, Todd Field, and made a podcast, and I wrote a post)
- The Great Expectations program: The Tube with a Hat and Marilena De La P7 (both Romanian)
- Lonesome (with a live freaking orchestra!)

4 interesting people:

- Julia Loktev (director of Day Night Day Night–loved her Q&A after the film, her ability to articulate)
- Quan (a writer I enjoyed discussing Dodsworth with)
- JP Gorin (the guest director of the festival–everyone loved his saucy “Frenchness”)
- An old Texan who didn’t know the phrase “film buff” but knew everything about films from the first part of the 20th Century

3 favorite spots:

- the West End Tavern (and their fried foods and spaten)
- the Galaxy Theater (a gym converted into a huge theater with weird Galileo-like constructions everywhere)
- the covered waiting area outside the Galaxy

2 highlights:

- Arriving in town and realizing that Telluride is everything it’s built up to be
- Seeing/discovering Maldonne, an amazing old film that’s been overlooked for nearly 80 years

1 way you see things differently:

- Experiencing a film is so much better when you’re looking for what’s memorable rather than what’s “good.”

I just watched Julia Loktev’s first feature film, Day Night Day Night starring a first-time actor, Luisa Williams. The film starts with the camera on the no-named girl (Williams) and then, with one brief exception, she’s in every shot of the entire film. We see what she sees and hear what she hears (the amplified chewing while she eats is an especially nice touch). There’s no explanation for who she is or where she comes from, and there are no dramatic music cues to tell us what she’s feeling. Nonetheless, what could have been a formal exercise in filmmaking takes us on a journey that’s nothing short of riveting.

The journey of this girl goes into some sensitive subject matter in a completely fresh and compassionate way. Ultimately, the journey is a spiritual one that left thoughts and images lingering in my mind long after the film ended. (And Williams’ performance is sure to be noticed–I think she’ll be showing up on the screen again soon.)

Listen to my interview with the filmmaker, Julia Loktev. (Pardon my sleepiness. It was late.)

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