The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
MORE OUT ON FILM HIGHLIGHTS
The opening night feature explores the vibrant Atlanta subculture of “bucking,” in which underground dance crews battle with moves influenced by college majorette routines from the early 1990s. Director Jamal Sims traces the community’s artistry and camaraderie, finding a fascinating central figure in Anthony “Big Tony” Davis, who suffered a tragic setback as a dancer and serves as a nurturing but no-nonsense coach to younger ones. Drawing on contemporary rehearsals and old VHS recordings of competitions at Club Traxx, the film’s energetic, heartfelt portrayal culminates with the intricate and athletic choreography at a competition called “The Big Buck.” 7 p.m. Sept. 27, Landmark Midtown Art Cinema
‘Every Act of Life’
Documentarian Jeff Kaufman can barely keep up with the long, prolific career of four-time Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally. Raised closeted in Corpus Christi, Texas, in the 1950s, McNally found enduring success on Broadway by crafting such relevant, luminous works over the decades as “Love! Valour! Compassion!” With candor that never feels gossipy, the film touches on McNally’s romantic relationships, which include playwrights Edward Albee and Wendy Wasserstein. Charming interviewees include McNally himself and collaborators such as Edie Falco, Nathan Lane and Audra McDonald. The film feels more like a “Greatest Hits” showreel than a close look at the creative process, but it’s never less than enjoyable. 7:05 p.m. Oct. 1, Landmark Midtown Art Cinema
‘Wild Nights With Emily’
Formerly of “Saturday Night Live,” Molly Shannon made a powerful impression in the drama “Other People” at the 2016 Out on Film Festival. This year she gives a sensitive but wry portrayal of iconic American poet Emily Dickinson in this off-beat docudrama. Writer/director Madeleine Olnek uses an irreverent, post-modern structure to explore the literary theory that Dickinson and her brother’s wife Sue (Susan Ziegler) were lovers for decades. The film struggles with its tonal shifts, heavy-handed satire and a low budget, at times looking like an expanded “Drunk History” sketch. But it also offers a thoughtful tribute to how the woman and her work were neglected during her life and served other people’s agendas after her death, until posterity finally took notice. 7 p.m. Oct. 6, Landmark Midtown Art Cinema
‘Mapplethorpe’
In the festival’s closing night film, English actor Matt Smith, best known for his acclaimed stint on “Doctor Who,” time-travels to bohemian New York in the 1970s and 1980s to portray controversial photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. The biopic offers a familiar rags-roriches rise of an arrogant, self-destructive genius, with a point of view that seems constricted: his youthful romance with future rocker Patti Smith (Marianne Rendon) makes a major part of the first act, but she drops out of the film almost completely. It benefits enormously from the inclusion of the photographer’s actual black-and-white images, including sensuous, impeccably composed flowers as well as explicit sexual depictions. His work looks as provocative now as when they were new. 9 p.m. Oct. 6, Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.