When Scrubs and Garden State actor-director Zach Braff turned to Kickstarter to fundraise for his film Wish I Was Here, he had no idea the kind of fuss he was about to stir up. Suddenly, no one was interested in Braff’s project about a 35 year old man forced to examine his life and relationships when his father falls ill. Instead, some critics and cinephile types took offence to the idea that Braff asked people to fund his independent film (read – make a movie that gave him creative control) and yet produced a film that could be regarded as pretty mainstream. Braff was shocked at the controversy and has claimed he will not use Kickstarter again to finance future films. As he told the press at the 2014 Zurich Film Festival press conference for Wish I Was Here, “I was completely taken aback by the criticism,” he said. “I was expecting a conversation because it’s a fascinating and new model. But I felt that a lot of the criticism was unfair and uninformed.” He adds, “This was always meant to be a really fun art experiment”. Braff himself, and traditional sources such as international pre-sales also financed the film. See what all the fuss is about this Saturday, on Rialto Selection.
When Scrubs and Garden State actor-director Zach Braff turned to Kickstarter to fundraise for his film Wish I Was Here, he had no idea the kind of fuss he was about to stir up. Suddenly, no one was interested in Braff’s project about a 35 year old man forced to examine his life and relationships when his father falls ill. Instead, some critics and cinephile types took offence to the idea that Braff asked people to fund his independent film (read – make a movie that gave him creative control) and yet produced a film that could be regarded as pretty mainstream. Braff was shocked at the controversy and has claimed he will not use Kickstarter again to finance future films. As he told the press at the 2014 Zurich Film Festival press conference for Wish I Was Here, “I was completely taken aback by the criticism,” he said. “I was expecting a conversation because it’s a fascinating and new model. But I felt that a lot of the criticism was unfair and uninformed.” He adds, “This was always meant to be a really fun art experiment”. Braff himself, and traditional sources such as international pre-sales also financed the film. See what all the fuss is about this Saturday, on Rialto Selection.
Monday 14th September, 8.30pm… The Attack
Last week, Rialto World screening Inch’Allah, a film that attempted to explain, amongst other things, the motivation behind a suicide bomber’s actions. That story was told from the perspective of a outsider, a Canadian doctor, but in The Attack, the motivation of a suicide bomber is explored from the perspective of the bomber’s husband; an Arab doctor who works in Israel. Directed by Lebanese filmmaker Ziad Doueiri, The Attack does a brilliant job of capturing that dream like moment when something so horrific happens it’s impossible to believe it’s true. Amin Jaafari (Ali Suliman) is an award winning Arab surgeon living and working in Tel Aviv, who is informed his wife is a suspect in the bombing. The movie is based on a novel by Yasmina Khadra, a pen name for the Algerian writer Mohammed Moulessehoul, who also spent time in the Special Forces in the Algerian army. The film is both a police thriller and relationship drama, as Jaafari goes in search of what happened to the woman he loved. As a surgeon, he’s taken the Hippocratic oath to save lives, and in a way lives above the conflict, however his wife has chosen a completely different path, to take lives. The film was hugely controversial in the Middle East with the The Arab League calling for a boycott of the film in all 22 member nations. Doueiri was disappointed the film was banned in Lebanon, but has stated he hopes that audiences see the film for what it really is, a love story rather than a political drama.
Tuesday 15th September, 8.30pm … Rectify
The third season of Rectify kicks off pretty much exactly where the last season ended, and runs for six episodes. Written by Breaking Bad’s Ray McKinnon and produced for Sundance Channel, this award winning series has been applauded for its haunting, hypnotic tone, deliberate pace, clever understated dialogue and excellent acting. The series centers on the plight of Daniel (Aden Young) who is convicted at age 18 of murdering his girlfriend and sentenced to death row. 19 years later, thanks to his sister Amantha’s (Abigail Spencer) relentless pursuit of justice and new DNA evidence, Daniel is released into a world he struggles to understand. The series follows Daniel’s readjustment back into society, and the effect it has on those around him. Whether Daniel did murder his girlfriend is still a mystery, and this adds an element of suspense to the narrative, but Rectify is essentially a gripping, Southern family drama.
Saturday 19th September, 8.30pm … Wish I Was Here
Written by Zach Braff and his brother Adam, Wish I Was Here is a warm, intimate and dry comedy drama about a struggling actor’s pre-midlife crisis. Aidan’s (Zach Braff) finances, marriage and family start to unravel when Aidan’s father Gabe (Mandy Patinkin) announces he’s dying of cancer and can no longer pay for his kids’ private Jewish school. His wife (Kate Hudson) suggests Aidan home schools their two kids, and even though Aidan’s idea of ‘schooling’ is a little wacky, his renewed relationship with his kids helps Aidan deal with his father’s demise and glue his offbeat family back together again. Nicely cast and filled with clever one-liners, Wish I Was Here is a charmer.