Following the potent experience of "The Long Way Home," I made a short journey to the UT campus and got in line at the Union Theatre for one of the biggest treats in SXSW history -- a visit by Atom Egoyan, one of the truly great artists working in the medium of film today.
Over the past several years (and his past few films) I have grown to become an enormous admirer of Egoyan's. In fact, I predicted (and advocated) that "The Sweet Hereafter" should have been nominated for Best Picture over "The Full Monty" (and even "As Good As It Gets," when you get right down to it), that Ian Holm should have been nominated for Best Actor over Dustin Hoffman, and that Sarah Polley should have been nominated for best supporting actress over... well, I don't know. At least it got nods for director and screenplay. If you haven't seen "The Sweet Hereafter," you owe it to yourself to do so. It ranks among my five favorite films of 1997 (along with "Titanic," "L.A. Confidential," "Good Will Hunting" and "Mrs. Brown").
Anyway, after an excrutiating (and inexcusibly) long delay, the self-effacing Egoyan was finally allowed to step before the full house and introduce this amazing collection of rarely seen work. Unfortunately, the nimrods running the show didn't bother to give him a mike.
The presentation was an interesting technical challenge, in that the films were in a variety of formats - 35mm, 16mm, and video. And, of course, there were some problems. But, they managed to pull it together, and the treat this rare occassion presented outweighed (but didn't absolve) the unfortunate inconveniences imposed on the audience. (Note to SXSW: get your act together.)
Heading up the line-up was a four-minute short shot on video entitled "A Portrait of Arshile." It was a simple, touching love letter from Egoyan to his son. The film is a startling close-up on his baby boy's face as he plays with the camera, looks around, etc. Meanwhile, Egoyan tells the story of where his name comes from, and cuts away to a photo of his namesake. It's a gem, and a wonderful expression of love for a child by his father. (Arshile Egoyan -- now four years old -- was sitting in the audience, which made the screening that much more resonant.)
Next up was one of Egoyan's first shorts, the 25 minute 16mm "Open House," which was utterly fascinating. It reminded me of looking at one of Kieslowski's early shorts, in that it so remarkably captured the most fundamental elements of the director's style which would evolve in his later films. As a point of reference upon which to examine this artist's growth and creative evolution, it is an engaging work. In and of itself, its chief weakness is that it feels a little too loose, and would benefit from tighter cutting. But no matter.
To tell you about "Open House" is hard to do without spoiling the film, but since most of you will never have the chance to see it, here's a rough sketch: A thirtyish realtor shows a house to a young couple who may be interested. They meet the elderly couple who built it, lived in it ever since, and are still very attached to it. Most of the film centers around these interactions as the couple checks out the house, which needs some work. Of course, given that this is an Egoyan film, we get all sorts of rich character development and At the end, as the couple seems ready to perhaps take the plunge, the phone rings, and another buyer says they'll take it. But, in one of those classic Egoyan twists, we discover it's not that simple. The realtor is in fact the son of the couple, and his whole routine is staged on a regular basis for the benefit of his parents.
Next was "En Passant," a 20 minute short commissioned for the Montreal Sextet, a collection of six shorts celebrating the city of Montreal. (It was presented on video.) It was quite a treat. Egoyan seemed fond of it, too, and expressed during the Q&A that he was thinking of trying to acquire the rights to it.
"En Passant" follows two characters. One works in customs at the airport, encountering an endless procession of faces. She sees a particularly interesting face, studies it, commits it to memory, and steals his luggage tag. As we follow her home, we find she lives surrounded by a gallery of portraits she's done of countless strangers -- each one with a luggage tag pasted in the corner. She promptly begins a new portrait, appropriating the countenance of the man at the airport.
Meanwhile, that man is checking into some strange conference at a hotel. After much visual humor, he is equipped with a Walkman and sent forth to tour Montreal, his tape serving as his guide. The journey he is led on is really something special to behold. Throughout the film, the theme of signage graphics as tools of non-verbal communication permeates, and provides flashes of comedy. For instance, when the man sees something or thinks something, it's illustrated by a brief flash of the "international symbol" for whatever that thing is. Does that make sense? I may not be explaining it very well. Anyway, it was an inspired narrative device that elicited ever-increasing laughter from the highly receptive audience, as it was used with clever aplomb.
Lastly, we got to see Egoyan's latest work, "Sarabande" -- a 60 minute collaboration with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, commissioned as part of his "Inspired by Bach" series of six short films celebrating the music of Bach. (It was presented on video.)
(*FYI: Using Bach's "Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello" as its unifying theme, this series of six films features Yo-Yo Ma collaborating with a wide range of performance artists. It kicks off next Wednesday, April 1, on PBS from 9-11pm EST with "Six Gestures" featuring ice dancers Torvill and Dean, and "Falling Down Stairs," featuring choreographer Mark Morris -- neither of which I've seen. Egoyan's "Sarabande" will air either April 8 or 15. Check local listings and don't miss it!)
I absolutely loved this last film. And it certainly didn't hurt that I'm an enormous fan of Ma's as well as Bach's. I was in heaven. I can't encourage you strongly enough to watch this when it airs on PBS next week or the week after. It is such a treat. And who knew Ma could act! (Though he does play himself.)
Basically, Yo-Yo Ma arrives in town to give a concert, an event around which the plot is woven. All the other characters in the film orbit it, whether they realize it or not. There's the aging limo driver sent to pick him up at the airport. There's the young doctor who takes a master's class with him. There's the couple who receives a pair of tickets to attend the concert. To say anything more would spoil this wonderful exploration of disparate characters. And it goes without saying that the incorporation of Bach throughout the film is nothing less than sheer brilliance. This film is a celebration -- of filmmaking, storytelling, musicmaking, and life. I can't wait to see it again.
Following the screening, Egoyan took a handful of questions from the audience -- and thankfully was given a mike to do so. He shared some interesting anecdotes and insight regarding the shorts, and the place they have within his total body of work. He seemed quite thrilled to have had the chance to share them with an audience, and was very pleased with their reaction.
After the Q&A let out, as I was making my way to the RoboMobile, I spied Egoyan and couldn't help but yell out "Good luck Monday night!" He turned around, smiled and said, "Yeah, thanks" with a bit of a chuckle and resigned hopelessness. I hope he at least had fun at the parties. And I can't wait to see what he does next.
