Festival Watch: Mary and Max Opens Sundance

16 January 2009

0Comments | Comment on this Article

The Sundance Film Festival, which is celebrating it's 25th anniversary this year kicked off last night in unusual style, it's opening film was feature-length clay animation picture Mary and Max.

The film follows a twenty year pen pal friendship between an unlikely pair; Mary Dinkle, a chubby, lonely 8-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max Horowitz, a 44-year-old Jewish man, who is severely obese, suffers from Asperger’s syndrome, and lives an isolated life in New York City.

And unlike Wallace and Gromit and Chicken run that have gone before it this is not a film for children as it explores very adult themes of suicide, mental health, alcoholism and sex and uses the voice talent of Toni Colette and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

And while it may be the oddest movie that has ever opened the festival it represents everything that Sundance stands for; Australian filmmaker Adam Elliot has produced a film that is so unique that it probably will not be snapped up by any studio, mainly through the lack of confidence on their part to back a picture that is so far from the mainstream.

However tough times lie ahead for the festival this year with the economic situation as well as the presidential inauguration next week that will over shadow events at Sundance.

But in the opening press conference Robert Redford said:"The way we program this festival is the same way we've done it since we started. What's changed of course is the world around us.

"For art, when economics gets tough, it will survive. It always has and it always will."

And there was still time for a shot as George W Bush: "This is obviously a really, really important inauguration, because of the change it's representing.

"I'm happy it's happening in the middle of our festival ... I'm personally excited because I'm glad to see the gang who couldn't shoot straight get out of there. You've got a lame duck guy (George W. Bush) going out, but he sure was doing a lot of quacking in the last while."

Despite facing these issues Sundance has a reputation for unearthing some quality movies with the likes of Little Miss SUnshine, In Bruges, Choke and Son Of Rambow all getting noticed at the festival over the last couple of years.

Some of the movies to look out for on the first day include Tyson, a documentary about the boxer, as well as Brooklyn's Finest starring Richard Gere and British picture Unmade Beds.

And Unmade Beds is leading the way in a strong British presence at the festival this year as twelve full length features will be on show.

Amongst those causing a bit of an early buzz include An Education, starring Emma Thompson and Peter Sarsgaard, and the script by Nick Hornby.

Sopranos star James Gandolfini pairs up with British funnyman Steve Coogan for In The Loop, which is produced by the team behind political farce show The Thick Of It.

Sundance runs until 25th January

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw

0Comments | Be the first to comment!