Sundance 2020 Day2 C & D Orange Blue The Fight
After a weak Saturday morning, I passed up The Dissident (which Alicia said was AWESOME) to see a war movie from Ukraine called The Earth is Blue as an Orange.
Blurb: “Exquisitely shot and bold in its metastorytelling approach, director Iryna Tsilyk’s documentary follows single mother Anna and her four children as they document their lives under siege in Ukraine.
“Eldest daughter Mira dreams of becoming a cinematographer. As bombs descend on neighboring homes, the family construct, act in, and edit stylized scenes of dangerous predicaments they’ve lived to tell. Mira’s re-creations ratchet up the drama, using local soldiers, tanks, and even her own grandmother to tell terrifying tales of survival. Meanwhile, Iryna quietly captures their more quotidian moments during their shoots and in between takes—scenes that include Mira’s siblings squabbling over line readings, cozy dinners by the fire, and Anna’s compassionate gaze as she watches Mira apply to film school.”
At Sundance 2014 I saw an amazing film Return to Homs which gave insight into the Syrian Civil War just as the ISIS thing was starting. It was RAW, a little short on plot, and VERY high on authenticity and intensity. I hoped for the same with Blue/Orange - and was disappointed. The city featured was on the edge of the invasion zone, far from the real front line. It is kind of a sweet coming of age story, and a film within a film within a film, kinda sorta - but not high on the intensity, or plot, or the taste of the war in Ukraine. (The title is a reference to the Absurdist movement in art, because the war is so absurd.)
“Eventually, the two projects fuse into a single vision that gorgeously encapsulates the extremes of war, both its explosive trauma and its mundane peripheral existence in everyday life. With miraculous insight, The Earth Is Blue as an Orange observes a family—and a filmmaker—cope with war using their cameras, working in tandem to create meaning out of a meaningless conflict.”
At least I waitlisted this one, and someone gave me a free ticket. At the SLC Library.
I waitlisted for the next movie at the Rose Wagner, and got numero uno on the list! This was The Fight.
Blurb: “Seven days after President Trump’s inauguration, the country’s airports and courthouses were clogged with protesters fighting to protect immigrants facing deportation due to the administration’s “Muslim ban” policy. It was to be the opening salvo of a relentless attack on civil liberties—and a tsunami of lawsuits waged against the Trump administration. What must it be like to be an ACLU lawyer in this day and age?”
I gave up on the ACLU in the George W Bush days as they had a feeble response to his massive illegality and war crimes. They’re BACK! I was a bit turned off at the beginning because this was an conspicuous advertisement for the ACLU and… now I am sold. It worked. I sent them money. Expensive, this Sundance thing is.
What a great film. It takes a lot of work and dedication by some very smart people (aka heroes) to push back against all the poop the DT administration commits - and these are the people doing it. Great film. The film follows several of the key lawyers as they work through the work in their areas of expertise. So we have intimate personal portraits, despicable injustices, courage courage dedication. Wow. Perfect Sundance movie.
(Again, kinda a weak title. I thought it would be great to call it “Fight Club 2” - ha ha…)
Not sure on the future of this one, but thinking a limited theatrical release, plus available on one of the majors platforms after.
“The Fight is an inspiring, emotional insider look at how these important battles are fought and the legal gladiators on the front lines fighting them. Directors Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman, and Eli Despres capture the rollercoaster ride of the thrill and defeat in these deeply human battles. When a mother is separated from her child, a soldier is threatened to lose his career, a young woman’s right to choose is imperiled at the pleasure of a government official, and the ability to exercise our basic right to vote is threatened, the consequences can be devastating to us and to future generations. The Fight celebrates the unsung heroes who fiercely work to protect our freedoms.”