Cinequest serves up world premieres (66 of ‘em!) in an impressive 217-film program that’s poised to make major cinematic waves in Silicon Valley March 6- 17.
In addition to a vast collection of shorts, documentaries and first-run features there’s the annual onstage presentation of the fest’s Maverick Spirit Award. This time that honor gets bestowed upon actor Matthew Modine.
The Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival also celebrates the joy of silent filmmaking with screenings of 1920’s “The Mark of Zorro” (7 p.m. March 8) and “Our Hospitality” (9:30 p.m. March 8) in the California Theatre, both of which feature Dennis James on the organ.
Additionally, there’s a certain-to-be-topical AI Town Hall starting at noon March 6 before the whole film shebang begins. Buzzy titles this year include Carla Gutiérrez’s Sundance documentary “Frida” (March 11) and the world premiere of Andrew Currie’s “The Invisibles” (March 10) with the always welcome Tim Blake Nelson playing the disappearing man in question.
The festival’s theme this year is “Uplift.”
Cinequest opens with the world premiere of the ominous “The Island Between the Tides” (March 6) and closes with the inspirational cycling drama “Hard Miles” (March 17) starring Modine.
For those who prefer watching at home or on their devices, Cinejoy — the fest’s virtual arm — runs March 21-31 and will feature some of the in-person selections.
We got a chance to preview a few titles, and highly recommend these 10 films.
“Dead Man’s Switch”: My favorite film in this bunch hails from Mexico and builds itself around Adriana Paz’s multi-layered gut punch of a performance, as it should. She’s perfection as Dalia, a subway operator who goes on a long search for her recently vanished husband Esteban. Dalia’s escalating distress etches itself into every crevice of Paz’s face; you feel this performance in your bones. Director/screenwriter Alejandro Gerber Bicecci’s classic neorealism style (the B&W cinematography by Hatuey Viveros is hauntingly appropriate) evokes not only Dalia’s unmoored, conflicted sentiments and her family’s unease but the restless mood of the always awake and very vocal city that surrounds her. Dalia finds herself besieged by oppressive labor politics, bureaucratic red tape and then later becomes the curated, coiffed symbol for change. All contribute to throwing her life off its tracks. Noé Hernández sears up the screen as Dalia’s eager-to-help coworker Carlos. It receives a world premiere. Screenings: 11:35 a.m. March 10, noon March 15, Hammer Theatre Center.
“Canvas”: Bereft of legit artistic talent, New Yorker Marissa (Bridget Regan) slithers her way back to her hometown where she makes the reclusive life of her eccentric but brilliant painter sister Eve (Joanne Kelly) absolute hell. What’s driving her to get addled sis committed? Perhaps dead dad’s pricey art collection might figure in. Directors Melora Donoghue – who also cowrote the sleek screenplay – and Kimberly Stuckwisch turn up the gaslight to extra high for this engrossing, finely tuned Gothic-lite thriller. It receives a world premiere. Screenings: 7:15 p.m. March 15 at California Theatre, San Jose; 9:30 p.m. March 17, Hammer Theatre Center, San Jose.
“Eden”: Soquel-based filmmaker Chris McGilvray’s meditative documentary about a prized South Bay winery creates a robust but different vintage from what often gets poured into wine-related docs. McGilvray and co-cinematographer Isiah Flores capture the prerequisite splendor of the renowned Mount Eden Vineyards, ensconced atop Saratoga’s hilltops. But the Los Gatos-born director’s gorgeous work — receiving a world premiere — isolates more on the family dynamics of its vintners, parents Jeffrey and Ellie Patterson, and their adult offspring Reid and Sophie. Each is pondering succession plans and dealing with changing seasons in their lives. “Eden” counters overly romanticized notions on the winemaking industry so he can shed dappled light on the commitment, the sacrifices and the tradeoffs that arise when one’s striving to become the best at what they do. Screening: 4:30 p.m. March 9; California Theatre.
“One Night in Tokyo”: Writer/director Joshua Woodcock’s romantic charmer sneaks up on audiences and then steals their hearts. It opens with New York workaholic Sam (Reza Emamiyeh) arriving in Tokyo, and getting immediately dumped by his irritating girlfriend. Rather than linger, Sam books a flight home and starts hanging out with his college pal’s girlfriend Ayaka (Tokiko Kitagawa). Neither speaks the other’s language, so they rely on their phones’ language translator to communicate — at the start. The twosome meet up with Ayaka’s eccentric friends at a sushi restaurant (the funniest sequence) and then stumble upon a game-changing discovery. Woodcock’s sweet confection frames itself around a 24-hour period, and serves comfort food for romantics. The leads are a delight. Screenings: 1:50 p.m. March 9 at California Theatre; noon March 12 at Hammer Theatre Center.
“The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout”: Howard Hughes’ notorious 1956 debacle with John Wayne as (gasp!) Genghis Khan and Susan Hayward as his Mongolian lover (yeah, right) was justly reviled for its offensive “yellowface” and horrific line readings from Wayne — who many in this film say was drunk during filming. The real tragedy occurred after many who worked on that outdoor set — 135 miles downwind of atomic bomb testing in Nevada — and then later on a backlot in Southern California, developed terminal illnesses. Director William L. Nunez’s thorough, illuminating documentary looks at the deadly toll the filming took on the cast and crew as well as on communities near St. George, Utah, where it was shot. “The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout” calls out the military and other agencies for ensuring the public that everything was safe when it wasn’t. It receives a world premiere. Screening: 6:50 p.m. March 10; Hammer Theatre Center.
“Tim Travers and the Time Traveler’s Paradox”: If there’s one actor deserving an MVP award at Cinequest, it’d be Samuel Dunning. In writer/director Stimson Stead’s irreverent world premiere, Dunning plays numerous versions of lonely, crackpot scientist Tim Travers, inventor of a time machine that spins the universe off its axis, and also kills off multiple versions of his younger self. Stead’s teeny-weeny budgeted lark makes for a wild ride that consistently punches above its weight, thanks, in part, to sparkling cameos from Danny Trejo, Joel McHale (as a podcaster) and Keith David. But it’s Dunning who owns it and then sells it, especially when one version of Tim falls hard for another version of himself. It’s positively bonkers, but, oh, does Dunning make this ode to self love work. Screenings: 7 p.m. March 9 and 2:20 p.m. March 13; Hammer Theatre Center.
“Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person”: While comparisons will get made to “What We Do in the Shadows,” director Ariane Louis-Seize’s macabre coming-of-age vampire comedy stakes its own claim. Sara Montpetit stars as emphatic bloodsucker Sasha (the worst kind, according to her judgmental kin). Poor Sasha sports feeble fangs and doesn’t have the stomach to feed on the hot-blooded. That changes when she pinpoints bullied, suicidal teen Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard) for her “first kill,” and he’s (mostly) a willing participant. “Humanist Vampire” does circle risky topics but handles them with care. Bénard’s performance breaks your heart. Screening: 9:45 p.m. March 13; Hammer Theatre Center.
“Hard Miles”: Any devoted cyclist worth their bike’s derailleurs should pedal over to this inspirational closing-night selection starring this year’s Maverick Spirit Award recipient Matthew Modine. He makes for a snug fit to play real-life Colorado coach Greg Townsend. In R.J. Daniel Hanna’s emotional crowd pleaser, Townsend trains four headstrong and unruly students from the medium security Ridgeview Academy correctional school where he works for a multi-day ride from Watkins, Colorado, to the Grand Canyon. “Hard Miles” follows a formulaic course but that’s a fitting gear given the subject matter. It’s fueled by two breakaway performances, one from Modine, the other from Jahking Guillory, as a most contrarian rider. Screening: 7 p.m. March 17; California Theatre.
“The Island Between Tides”: Author J.M. Barrie, of “Peter Pan” fame, dabbled in a darker terrain with the unsettling “Mary Rose,” a Gothic fever dream about a 20-year-old woman drawn to a mysterious small island. When Lily (Paloma Kwiatkowski) was 6 in 1982 British Columbia, she went missing from her scrappy family near that hot spot and then popped up two days later in the same place. When she revisits that island again at age 20, she awakens 25 years in the future. Directors Andrew Holmes and Austin Andrews create an effective, ominous, Gothic mood throughout this absorbing twisted fable, which takes audiences to unexpected places, far from the realm of Neverland. It’s the opening night film and is receiving a world premiere. Screening: 7:15 p.m. March 7; California Theatre.
“The Greatest”: Ryan Sarno’s sensual love triangle takes a poignant “My Policeman” decades-spanning approach to its forbidden, in-the-shadows romance between closeted 1960s East Coast family man Jay (Isaac Nevrla) and his more comfortable with his sexuality Puerto Rican lover Ray (Sergio Acevedo). Jay “passes” as straight and leads a white-picket-fence existence with his constrained-by-the-sexist-times wife Beverly (Isabela Jacobsen, adding dimension to a difficult part). Their relationship undergoes a radical transformation soon after he meets the then-waiter Ray, which leads them to cavort on the beach, hang out at a secret gay club and ultimately make love in Ray’s small bed in his small apartment. Sarno allows his story to unfold steadily so he can reflect on the dangers of repression and the impact that has on all three characters. Particularly powerful are scenes in which doctors try to de-gay Jay. Nevrla and Acevedo click as the lovers, giving their characters tremendous depth in a film filled with rich period details — from the music to the wood paneling to the costumes to the hair styles. It receives a world premiere. Get ready to cry. Screening: 9:30 p.m. March 16; Hammer Theatre Center.
Contact Randy Myers at [email protected]
CINEQUEST
When: March 7-17
Where: Various San Jose theaters
Tickets: $14 general, $9 students, $8 matinees (weekdays before 5 p.m.); special event tickets cost more; festival passes available
Contact: More information, full schedule and tickets can be found at www.cinequest.org
Online: Cinejoy virtual program runs from March 21-March 31, www.cinequest.org
