RIFF - Jen

I went to see the experimental film block, pretty much by accident, but it turned out to be a happy accident. It was interesting to compare the films. I felt like some filmmakers were trying too hard (the last film apparently lasted only like ten minutes, but it honestly felt like thirty), but that was balanced by the impressive techniques of other films.

It's hard to say which was my favorite. There was one about a dominatrix, Fragments of the World, that I found intriguing. I liked how you only ever saw her wearing white or black (white when she was out during the daytime, and black when she was working as a dominatrix, of course), and the clothing style worked to reflect her mood at the time. And frankly, I felt that film was very realistic and unafraid to show the gritty reality that sometimes we don't want to face.

But maybe overall my favorite film was Sunday. It was part live-action, part...something (claymation, but not? I don't know.). It gave a cool story of the last day in the life of this total slacker and it was really creepy but kind of adorable at the same time. I was hooked. I also spent a little bit of time talking to the creators after the showing and they were pretty tight, down-to-earth kind of people.

Anyway, it was a great experience overall and I'm glad that I went. I would like to attend more festivals in the future.