11:00 a.m.: Chaz Ebert wastes no time in introducing the director for the first film of the day, the much-anticipated guest, Ang Lee. Mr. Lee is greeted by a chorus of U of I boys who sing the school song in his honor. “I am proud to be a Fighting Illini,” says the award-winning director of such films as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain.
11:15 a.m.: Hulk, Lee’s most critically unsuccessful film to date, begins. I’ve seen this movie before, and so my preconception of a molasses-paced monstrosity makes the film go a little faster. And after seeing it a second time, I am reminded why I never liked Hulk to begin with. The applause seems forced after the credits roll, as if the audience has had a stinker sprung upon them. But by no means does that mean Ang Lee should stop directing films. Apparently he almost retired after Hulk’s flop, but was encouraged by his father to continue directing. And so, he directed something for himself, something he didn’t think anyone would want to see: Brokeback Mountain.
When asked what it was like to work with Heath Ledger, Lee reflects, “Heath was the perfect cowboy. I wanted Heath to carry the movie and Jake Gyllenhaal to steal the show.” A heavy beat of silence permeates the theater after Lee finishes talking about the late actor; the somber moment is palpable as the director lowers his gaze.
3:00 p.m.: Now comes The Band’s Visit, a tale about an Egyptian military band dropped off in the wrong city and the night they spend in an unfamiliar land before finding their way again. It’s a beautiful film with deep, multifaceted characters and a wonderful sense of awkwardness that touches the true quiet moments of the human spirit. Not to mention it boasts a refreshing old-style humor and sports a cast of incredible actors.
After the film, writer and director Eran Kolirin talks about the film’s successes and shortcomings. The Band’s Visit is the highest-grossing Israeli film ever in North America and was at first nominated for an Academy Award. The film was disqualified from the category of Best Foreign Language Film because the dialogue was determined to be “more than 50 percent English,” though subtitles are used throughout to discern the broken English. This is Kolirin’s directorial debut. I’m sensing a trend in this festival for amazing first-time filmmakers not getting the props they deserve.
6:25 p.m.: My husband and I crash the Ebertfest dinner thanks to an invite from Joey Pantoliano. We meet the lovely Chaz Ebert formally as well as Hadjii, who looks extremely tired, and his mother, who did end up reading his book. Her eyes roll up in her head as she admits to this, “I had to. I’m his mother.”
7:20 p.m.: We make it back to the Virginia Theatre in time to see Housekeeping, starring Christine Lahti and directed and adapted to the screen by Bill Forsyth. I love the unconventionality of this film, and I love Lahti’s performance as the quirky aunt who moves to the mountains to raise her two half-grown nieces. Yes, her character may be a little disturbed, but her outlook on the world is lovely in its simplicity.
Forsyth reveals when adapting the book into the screenplay, he literally took scissors to the novel and cut and pasted dialogue into the script. He realized too late he’d have to buy a lot of copies of the book to do it all that way, but it shows how faithful he was to Marilynn Robinson’s novel. He says “less than 10 percent” of the dialogue in the film is his own. I’m impressed and feel the book is worth looking into.
Lahti says she used a couple of different tactics to prepare for her quirky role; one was to study the eating habits of monkeys, and the either was to glean the disheveled habits of the director and incorporate it into her character (rather missing a button on a shirt than collecting newspapers). Can I just say Lahti is stunningly beautiful in person and deserves an Oscar for her mere natural looks at age 58?
11:03 p.m.: Chaz introduces director Tarsem Singh for The Cell, starring Jennifer Lopez and Vincent D’Onofrio. Grinning cheekily, Tarsem tells the audience not to be ashamed if they wish to walk out during the screening of the film. “This audience is weird” he muses. Tell me about it. I’ve been sitting in a movie theater for ten hours in one day and will eventually stay for another two and forty-five minutes.
The Cell is visually breathtaking with a story that’s appallingly disturbing, yet engrossing. It’s violent, unsettling and stylized and I am in love with it. Surprising shots and jarring visuals rape your nerves. I don’t normally go for that type of thing, don’t get me wrong, but it fits perfectly with the story and it’s not about shock value. The studio originially released The Cell to critics before the film was finished and thus it was received terribly. By chance, Roger Ebert happened to be on vacation during the initial critic screenings and didn’t view it until it was properly finished. I’m glad he appreciates it and decided to bring it to this festival, because seeing it on the gigantic screen is the only way to truly view it in all its splendor.
1:45 a.m.: I return to my car and see the clock for the first time. I burst into maniacal laughter and drive home on desolate streets.