Sundance Film
Festival

Thursday, January 25

The disturbingly
controversial and emotional documentary Raw Deal: A Question of Consent,
about the rape of stripper at a fraternity initiation party, is perhaps the
toughest and yet most important film to see here as the festival slides toward
the finish line with no breakaway movie or mega-bidding war relieving the week's
ennui.



Festival Founder Robert Redford (who is away shooting a film in Europe) has
finally weighed in with his annual admonishment to remember what the festival
is meant to be (a haven for emerging, fresh work from creative artists and not
a market) while Festival Co-Director Geoffery Gilmore continues giving hopeful
interviews about the selling 'picking up', leading to the conclusion that festival
intent and festival reality are indeed two different things.



Raw Deal, from Writer/Director Billy Corben, stands as one of the few
festival films that truly executes a creative perspective within established
cinematic traditions. Corben exposes the story of Lisa Gier King, a 27-year-old
stripper in Gainesville, Florida who filed rape charges after a performance
at the Delta Chi fraternity on the University of Florida campus. The controversy
arises when King herself is charged and arrested for filing a false police report,
and an explicit video tape of the event is made public.



Corben's decision to not only follow the resulting public outcry and debate,
but to also include the original footage in his film works on a number of levels.
Rather than feeling exploitative, Corben's construction works as a painful cinema
verite, underscoring the narrative with a disturbing truth: the value of a human
life is still very much measured in terms of objectification and social standing.
More challenging to the audience than the validity of King's accusation (which
should stand as a warning to every high school kid who believe his/her judgement
is not impaired when drinking), is the despicable attitude of the fraternity
brothers, the very same privileged men meant to be heralded as the future of
American.



Not surprisingly, the shorts are enjoying a greater sellers' market than the
features. This year, short films are increasingly seen as the avenue for experimentation-a
safe breeding ground for risk taking and individual voices. However, it's a
Slamdance short that is garnering the most conversation.



At a time when the push is for shorter shorts with fast cuts and quirky story
lines shot on digital video, Writer/Director Seth Wiley made a 26-minute movie
about a toll-booth worker in small-town Kansas shot on 35mm Cinemascope employing
a leisurely, deliberate pacing. The Good Things, starring Wil Wheaton
as the toll-booth collector, has audience members calling Wiley the "Antonioni
of Kansas."



Interestingly but not surprisingly, the impending writers strike is in the forefront
of nearly all the American filmmakers as each one tries to asses their next
project after their Sundance reception. Adam Brooks, The Invisible Circus,
talked about not being exactly sure what to start and what not to start while
at the same time debating out loud the merits of the strike. Tom DiCillo, Double
Whammy, spoke of taking a few months off before deciding the his next film.
The scurry of a few months ago to stockpile pre-strike projects 'just in case'
now has faded as the industry waits for the shakedown of the negotiations.

Kathleen
McInnis

Opening
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Awards


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