One Million Dubliners, Atlantic., sea shanties, and a tie

[ironymaiden]

One Million Dubliners
Documentary about a huge cemetery in Dublin. At this point there are more people buried there than there are people living in the city. It didn't quite work for me; I would have liked a film focused on the social history of the place (all religions are allowed and it includes luminaries from both sides of their civil war, it fell into disrepair for a while) or the occupational present (it's supported by tourism, but is still a working cemetery with multiple interments and chapel services every day) but it's a rambling thing that includes a long sequence with some French woman who has a crush on Michael Collins (also including her Vietnamese best friend's beliefs about mortality and the afterlife). So we saw that, but we never saw a before picture of the disrepair they talked about. Here's a bit about the area of unhallowed ground for unbaptized babies and practices around disposing of children's bodies; here's a much longer sequence where an employee talks about her stillbirth. The film I wanted to see is probably lying on the cutting room floor. Maybe it's super-cool if you're immersed in Irish history and culture. Meh.

Atlantic.
A North African windsurfer tries to windsurf to Europe. Loved the slice of life stuff in his village, loved the ocean and the windsurfing, loved his problem solving, loved the sequences of him fighting with the environment. BUT I spent the entire film trying to figure out what his familial relationship was to this one little girl in town that he clearly loves, and if he really was going to Europe because he had a crush on his windsurfing buddy's girlfriend. I have no idea if he lived or died or made it to Europe because the film just ends.

I could have asked the director at the Q&A afterward, but instead i went to Folklife and met up with C and mimerki. I got to eat fair food, and people watch, and sing along with sea shanties.

Then I continued on to the first home Sounders game in forever. i had a great time* except for the disgusting can of cider i bought. Johnny Appleseed cider involves apple concentrate, added sugar (twice), and caramel coloring. and it tastes like that. gross.

*you know you are a sportsball fan when you don't get bored with a scoreless tie.

Comments

[varina8.livejournal.com]

I think we were ships passing in the night. I went to Folklife for dancing, then ended up at the Maritime Showcase until I had to leave to catch a SIFF move. Sorry to about One Million Dubliners, more sorry because I have a ticket for tonight's showing.

Are you headed down to Folklife tomorrow?

[ivy]

I was kind of dreading seeing it after reading it, but I think I liked it more than you did -- I'm betting on cultural context making the difference. The French woman sequence was pretty weird, though. It mostly made me want to go find whatever movie they were talking about... I've never seen it, heh. (I promise not to fall in love with Michael Collins and become an unwedded cemetery stalker after watching it, heh.) But knowing who many of the people were that they were talking about made it a lot more powerful for me, and I (sadly) saw the ending coming about 30 seconds before everyone else due to reading his father's in the background.