forgot father's day, forgetting to eat, and sleeping hours seem to come few and far between-ish, but I'm just floating around happy as a clam.
SIFF closing film last night was "The Science of Sleep" which was completely gorgeous, the animation... so much more clever than what could've been your run-of the mill CGI stuff. So much more intersting and beautiful that M.Gondry's more hollywoody films (even though I love those too). I couldn't help but to laugh and gasp and sit in awe of everything happening on the screen...
The strangest thing is that the film seems to be getting a few (terribly base and ridiculously) unfavorable reviews. Reading them on IMDB this morning I was so surprized to see such reviews which dismissed it as "boring"! If Science of Sleep is "boring" then what the heck are you looking for? What are you watching??? People are nuts. Anyhow, added my own two cents(here)just to help balance it out, but it seems like even more positive reviews have popped up just today, so that at least feels a bit better.
After the film C. and I wandered over to the closing gala- a very crowded and confusing social situation, we parked ourselves at the bar (after being completely overwhelmed by the people, motion, appetizers and super-loud band) and just drank gintonics while the crowd swirled around for the next couple of hours, the silly wall of Bombay saphire was even a bit much... but there was a certain comfort and pleasantness that settled in eventually and after awhile I was just happy to be there. After watching this film, one feels particularly disoriented, and yet strangely at peace. I coudn't help but think- "yes, that is what I would like to do with my time" Michel Gondry's little worlds and little creatures are positively lovely... he stood behinds us as we sat at the bar and hugged his family and looked like such a happy little frenchman... he even winked at c., which is just so great... and his son's atire was a big hit- some kind of flowing black shirt with gold sequins, and almost halloweenish striped pants. It reminded me of the French people who frequent Cora (just over the border by Saarbruecken) completely wild. Kischy-cartoonish and almost naievely unaware of any fashion norms, which is very refreshing. A girl we both became fascinated with because of "the way she carries herself" as c. put it ended up talking with us a bit later, and her mum to boot. It turns out that sHe (the girl)was a filmmaker who has a film coming up at Bumpershoot, even though she looks like she might be 17, dressed and wandering around with such a fasinating air that we were convinced she couldn't possible me american, but she was, and charming at that. (basically a human elf.) hmm, her film is about 8 women of various ages in bathrooms- El Banos? I think... Good luck to her.
The afterparty was, as usual, comeletely bizarre- I don't know whose idea it was to play Powtokwaaatsi (sp?) while the dj was spinning the likes of Lil' Kim, ODB, madonna, Gnarls Barkley, Journey and Bily Joel- but it has to be one of the most insane and ironic justapositions of sound an image I've ever seen. c. and I set up camp in the center of the theatre and sipped on our abrasive and unprofessionally made (but great)drink concoctions for hours while watching drunken SIFF staff dance away is all their intretpretative spastic-ness while above on screen the plight of the underdeveloped and exploited people of the world played out in slow-motion without its Phillip Glass soundtrack to guide it.
Chaos. Chaos. Chaos.
Finally called dad today (a day late to wish him "Happy Father's Day"- which he could probably care less about, dunno) he and mom are in the midst of packing once again- for the move from Iceland to England... oh boy.