But not the opening gala of DIRTY PICTURES, I'll catch that next week. I just got there for the late program of 2 shorts and a feature (a shortish feature) about dating and insecurity.
First up, the short UB2 by local filmmaker Dan Goldes. UB2 is a dating profile shorthand for "You be, too (also)" as in, "I'm clean and disease free, UB2." And the film is about that phrase "clean and disease free" meaning HIV negative. The insinuation, of course, being that HIV positive men are unclean and diseased. Several HIV positive humans talk about how that phrase and similar words make them feel. Short enough to really only start a conversation, but a conversation that's immediately poignant and worth having.
Next up, SOMETHING TO TELL YOU. Gary has been maintaining an online relationship, but has something to tell his lady friend before they meet. He has a physical condition that has kept in a wheelchair for the past several years. But his condition hasn't affected his mind or sense of humor, in fact it might have made him sharper. The movie has a voiceover of his e-mail to her while he gets ready for bed.
And finally, while Dan Goldes was the most local filmmaker, the director of the feature wins the prize for the furthest travel to the festival. TALIYA.DATE.COM is directed by and stars Taliya Finkel who also directed Docfest '08's OVER MY DAD'S BODY. In 2008 she didn't make the trip from Israel to here, but she made it this time. Her movie is a humorous look at dating, self-image, and poetry. She joins an online dating site and not only documents the dates (sometimes in reenactments, sometimes by bringing the original guys back for interviews) but she writes poems about each one. In fact, the original proeject was for a poetry class, and ended in a book. She weaves the dates in with advice from her gay friend, poems, and shockingly ugly self-portraits (cheer up Taliya, you look better than that). The project ultimately ends after date 45, but I'll avoid spoilers and not tell you why. But I will say the film she ends up with is pretty funny. In fact, funnier than your average romantic comedy, so chalk up a win for reality.
Total Running Time: 68 minutes
My Total Minutes: 250,302
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