The best flicks of the Cinequest film fest
Virtual event offers more than 80 movies, plus watch parties and more
It’s hard to imagine that it’s just about a month before the unfurling of the year-end best lists begins.
The San Jose-based Cinequest film festival, always a trendsetter, is a getting a jump start on that annual tradition by spotlighting the favorites from programmers and audiences alike. Organizers are doing this via Cinejoy, their celebration of previous cinematic standouts along with a few new offerings.
The fest is a streaming experience, but don’t let that fool you. It’s intended to be an interactive affair where you are able to meet up with film buffs, chat about what you’re watching and even catch a few Q&As.
All the defining staples that have made the fest a success are on tap, including popular screening parties in addition to live spotlight events that pin on conversations with actors and filmmakers. All told, there are 13 special events in the series, which runs today through Nov. 14 and comes stocked with 81 features and 83 shorts from around the globe. Most films cost $3.99 to access; most Spotlight events and watch parties cost $11.99. For tickets and a full program, go to www.creatics.org/cinejoy
Here are a few goodies not to miss, all of which are available to stream through the mini-festival.
“BUCK ALAMO” >> Directorial debuts aren’t normally as wise and assured as Ben Epstein’s metaphysical musings on the twilight hours of Texas cowboy-musician Eli Cody’s complicated life. Fluctuating from black-and-white to color and with Ingmar Bergman leanings, this melancholic indie hits the right impressionistic notes and is creatively made and soulful. An ailing Eli (an outstanding Sonny Carl Davis) tries to make amends with distanced friends and a family that doesn’t want him in their lives. Epstein is going after big issues and, for the most part, he grasps all of them and does it with conviction and vision. Bruce Dern leads the formidable co-star list, playing Death.
“CHASING CHILDHOOD” >> It’s a question every parent and teacher should ask themselves: Are we discounting the connection, joy and creativity children derive from improvisational play? Directors Margaret Munzer Loeb and Eden Wurmfeld make a convincing argument that too many demands and overscheduled lives prevent kids from being, well, kids.
“THE ALTERNATE” >> Shot in mostly the South Bay and flush with Bay Area talent, Berkeley-born writer-director Alrik Bursell’s sexy horror/sci-fi feature debut is scrappy at times, but it is always a gripping and suspenseful ride. Charismatic actor Ed Gonzalez Moreno brings the needed sizzle as unsatisfied videographer Jake, a guy full of resentment and insecurities. His relationship with hardworking Kris (Natalia Dominguez) isn’t going too great either. He encounters a more successful version of himself when he ventures through a portal that casts him in the role of an established filmmaker with a posh home and a pool. Jake craves that existence and resorts to extreme measures to pursue it. “The Alternate” is a very entertaining and compelling feature debut from Bursell, who lives in Vallejo. He’s one to watch. The film receives a Spotlight at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 11.
“GOSSAMER FOLDS” >> The sweet connection between misunderstood 10-yearold Tate (Jackson Robert Scott) and his new neighbors, a former professor and his Black trans daughter Gossamer, light up Lisa Donato’s emotional, fragile drama. Set in the mid’80s near Kansas City, “Gossamer Folds” might not always be subtle (Tate’s dad is over-the-top vile), but whenever Scott appears on camera with Alexndra Grey, who portrays Gossamer, the film comes elegantly to life. It receives a Spotlight at 5:30 p.m. today.
“DOUBLE WALKER” >> Director-co-writer Colin West’s micro-budgeted horror feature debut is like entering an unnerving dream with nowhere to escape. A Ghost (Sylvie Mix, who also cowrote the screenplay) with a penchant for cutlery wanders around a frightfully cold Midwestern town and preys on men who might have played a role in killing her younger self. When she meets a decent guy (Jacob Rice) who works at a movie theater, her undead mission gets challenged. It’s chillingly shot and has some unexpected twists as well. It’s getting its premiere at Cinejoy.
“A BEAUTIFUL CURSE” >> Martin Garde Abildgaard’s moody romantic drama takes an original premise and fills it with compassion, even hope. The Copenhagen-based filmmaker’s feature debut is a minimalistic piece that takes place entirely on an island where the entire population has fallen into a deep sleep for unexplained reasons. Lonely photographer Samuel (Mark Strepan in a tender performance) wanders around the desolation and is captivated by the slumbering Stella (Olivia Vinall), a fiery spirit with whom he engages in imagined conversations (or are they?). I saw “Curse” last March when it received a world premiere at Cinequest and still think about the quiet beauty of it. It receives a Spotlight at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 12.
“WELCOME TO THE SHOW” >> Dorie Barton’s messed-up mindbender doubles down on the satire. At the last minute, four partying college dudes ditch Thanksgiving obligations so they can spend the holiday together. When one gets an invite to an interactive theater experience called “The Show,” they load up on booze and drugs and decide to check it out. Soon they’re blindfolded and dumped on a deserted street. Is this real? Are they bit players on a weird stage? We’re just as disoriented and intrigued as they are in this curiosity with a great cast that gets into a weird groove and stays with it to its mystifying end. It receives a Spotlight at 5:15 p.m. Nov. 13.
“EVENTS TRANSPIRING BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER A BASKETBALL GAME” >> Ted Stenson’s crowd-pleaser is lovably droll, in that Christopher Guest-“Best in Show” sort of way. It’s a quirky delight with eccentric characters — from the two referees, one of whom is distracted throughout the game, to the two coaches of a struggling high school basketball team. Add in members of a student theater troupe who want to take a creative stand against the patriarchy, and you have a guaranteed fun time at the movies.