I went to see the movie as part of Fantasia in Montreal. I wasn't sure what to expect given that fantasia digs into very deep extremes at times but was really positively taken aback by the movie. The harsh reality of people making choices based on where they're coming from. You truly can't judge someone you don't know. There was a Q&A at the end of the projection and I agree with the person who commented that the score fit so well with the movie that I didn't realize there WAS a score until I consciously thought, wait, I have to listen to the score, this is part of why I'm here: Walter Sickert! It's only the second time that I go to a movie premiere where so many of the actors actually show up for a Q&A at the end and that was truly awesome. You see them for 2 hours on the big screen and get attached to them and then, boom, they're there, 10 feet from you. Wow! I was expecting a movie mostly made in Rhodes-Island by people from RI but that was a surprise as well to see actors from all over. It truly is also a story of transformation. There was this great question about the main character's transformation and how she was coached by the same crew as the one in "the biggest loser", etc. The actors were AWESOME, I made sure to take a couple of pics during the Q&A so that I could take them out when some of them become super famous :) Eli Henry: I either have seen him somewhere else or am channeling that I'll see him soon on ever bigger screens soon. I loved that he kept converting Farenheit to Celcius for us Montrealers :) And Jill: amazing! Oh, only "not sure" part of this movie is when it starts with the "shoulder mounted?" camera. I'm always leery for these kinds of shots, they make me dizzy so was glad that it was only the first shot and then things got stable again (very minor). Great shot but just a personal thing. I hope this movie goes far and wide into as many festivals as possible because it is so good to see. I'd watch it again to catch more details, great movie. I should add: the characters were great. You could believe in their motives/reactions/background/etc. I hate when you watch a movie and think they make dumb decisions that make no sense. You truly get sucked in by your image and sometimes the only way you can change how people see you is by changing your image. There was this TED talk that proved that just your posture can change how you're viewed. So, is it "selling out" to change your image just to match what you want to project? To match your mental image? And when you change your image, how long does it take for "others" to accept the new image or to ditch you because you don't match their mental image anymore? So many thoughts after this movie. I wish I had asked this question to Lily Mae Harrington (Jil, the main character). After all she LIVED this transformation in this movie and might live through some of these questions. Does your proximity change because you don't fit in their mental image anymore? You don't fit in that box that they put you into? Don't we all do that? Aren't we all judging someone in 2 seconds and if we can't fit someone in a box fast enough, we ask questions until we can make them fit in some kind of mental box? Repeat: each person is unique and can change and is allowed to evolve and change. Embrace change, embrace diversity :)
Review of Some Freaks
