The Film Festival Continues

Over the past few weeks I have been attending the Seattle Film Festival. I have enjoyed a few outstanding flicks, like director Anand (Shopgirl) Tucker's When Did You Last See Your Father?, as well as a little gem of a movie called Phoebe in Wonderland with Felicity Huffman, Bill Pullman and a remarkable Elle Fanning.

There was some mediocre fare (Continental, a Film Without Guns and the Sundance award-winner Ballast) among the films I saw, and a couple of great documentaries as well.

Then of course, amid the hits, there were the misses: Huddersfield, a pointless drama from Serbia, and The Bluetooth Virgin, a small film about struggling Hollywood screenwriters, were two outright snoozers.

I've also attended some interesting presentations and Q&A from writers, directors and actors attending the festival.

Among the highlights were two foreign films brought to the festival from Japan and Australia, respectively: Love and Honor, a period samurai movie, and The Children of Huang Shi, from director Roger Spottiswoode (Air America, Tomorrow Never Dies).

Love and Honor, about a blind samurai facing his final duel, is beautifully shot and well acted, a character piece with heart and a happy ending (unlike many other Japanese samurai movies, which tend to go the way of melodrama).

The Children of Huang Shi, a powerful and captivating true story set during the Japanese occupation of China, is about a wounded journalist who finds himself convalescing at an orphanage that he soon takes charge of. As the dangers of the war loom closer, he packs up the orphanage and leads them hundreds of miles across the desert to a place where the children will be safe, giving his all – and his life – to deliver them safely. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is a capable lead, with Yun-Fat in a memorable performance as the Chinese rebel who acts as guide and mentor.