Sundance 2009: Film Round-Up

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Documentaries

Afghan Star

Afghan Star was one of the real thrills of the festival. Originally, I wasn’t interested in the film based on its written description, which amounted to an examination of Afghanistan’s version of American Idol. I thought the point of the film would be, “Look, how cute, the Afghans have Idol!” But thank goodness I happened upon director Havana Marking being interviewed in the press room and talked to her afterward, because I couldn’t have been more wrong about the spirit of the film. At its heart, Afghan Star is a social justice documentary. It explores two of the most stunning effects the show has had on the country: an increase in national unity as contestants who are members of different racial and ethnic groups from the bouillabaisse-esque mix of Aghans work together and are seen befriending each other on camera, and the debate engendered when female contestants are seen singing and even dancing on camera. It’s not entirely a feel-good story. There are tense moments of real danger (and they continue even now) for the female contestants. But the show, and the film itself, are inspiring testaments to the power of art to transform society. It’s a damn fun ride along the way, too. Marking won the documentary directing award, and it was richly deserved. Keep an eye out for this one.

Prom Night in Mississippi

This film is an account of a high school in Mississippi whose tradition is to have separate proms for the white and black students. Actor Morgan Freeman, who is a Mississippi resident, approaches the senior class and offers to pay for the prom himself if they will have both white and black students present. Their acceptance is only the beginning of the story, though, as many issues arise in planning for the event. There are some fascinating characters among the students, and director Paul Saltzman draws them out well and shoots them sensitively. But there’s a great missed opportunity in the second half of the film. The father of one of the white girls dating a black boy is the only person willing to appear on camera and say he disapproves. And despite his belief, he’s actually a sympathetic character; he doesn’t hate anyone, he just doesn’t think the races should mix, because that’s how he was raised. It’s a dirty little secret of prejudice that many of those under its sway are so not because they hate, or even because they are especially closed-minded, but because they’re tied to a past that they see no compelling reason to abandon. That psychology is worth exploring in a sensitive and empathetic way, but that exploration will have to wait for another film. Still, it’s hard to bemoan a film that tells such an uplifting story.

The Glass House

Director Hamid Rahmanian is up to something special in The Glass House, an account of a safe home in Tehran that provides shelter, safety, education and training to Iranian girls in trouble. All the shots of Tehran are long shots. There are no loudspeakers calling residents to prayer, no bearded clerics around the corner, no billboards with foreign writing. The result is that, without the head coverings and Farsi, the documentary could just as well be taking place in Brooklyn or Atlanta. It’s an inspired choice, because despite the hope offered by the center, the girls’ stories are at times beyond imagining. It takes a remarkable person, in this case therapist Marjeneh Halati, to create a refuge like Omid e Mehr. And yet it’s within the reach of each of us to be that remarkable person right where we are, and inspiring meditations like that is the triumph of the film.