TV is the New Reading

Independent films: Some are

worth a look, others ... less so

Independent film seems to be the reality television of the entertainment world.

By their very nature, indie films are made by whomever filming whatever. Some of them are incredible. And some of them are ...

Well ... “awful” lumps them into too broad a category. What one viewer finds awful another viewer finds a life-changing reorganization of his or her personal philosophy and worldview.

Again, by their very nature, these films have received varying levels of “vetting” – that is, some commercial interest involving itself in determining how successful the finished product will be. See, in the world of studio production, if a film is determined to be a bad risk with no chance of return on investment, it might not be made.

In the world of independent film, this is less of a consideration. So less commercially viable films actually get a chance.

The outcome is available for public viewing in several venues. Some of the biggest are the online video hosting site YouTube, and the Independent Film and Sundance cable channels.

With the summer schedule providing quite a bit less “must-see” programming, I’ve personally had more opportunities to take in some of these shows, and have been impressed with some of the shows I’ve seen.

One, called “Danny Deckchair,” is an Aussie production in which a tradesman escapes his miserable life and his faithless wife by tying 50 huge helium balloons to a lawnchair and floating away. The sequence aloft is beautiful, and the imagery is an homage to the best of French arthouse. Sadly, it lasts less than a minute and we’re back in Australia again. The guy falls to earth and tries out a new life in the isolated village he lands in – including his own emotional affair with a local girl. It’s essentially fun, though, and wraps up in a satisfying way.

There’s films that I’d heard of but never got a chance to see like “Strictly Ballroom” and “Party Monster.” And there’s films I’d never heard of but sounded fascinating like “Intermission” and “Primer,” in which a pair of theoretical physicists create a time machine and spend more and more time in it until their entire existence is a paradox.

I have to say this last one sounded a lot more interesting than it actually was. Instead of living one day, this boring pair of researchers were living the same long boring days twice. There was a lot of talking but the science wasn’t especially compelling and in the end it was as convincing as community theater. If I had such a machine, I’d have tried to go back and retrieve the hours I spent watching this rambling mess.

But I’m ultimately happy to have seen it. Mostly because in other eras, it wouldn’t even have existed for me to see.

As mass media markets continue to break down, we discover more and more that there is indeed something for everyone, and these kinds of independent channels are great showcases to see what’s out there..

Features Editor Terry J. Aman compiles the Best Bets for The Minot Daily News.

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