MY EXPERIENCE AT THE RICHMOND FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL!

Here at old Randolph College, I take whatever chance I get to partake in a moviegoing experience. I'm currently enrolled in a French 102 class for my Gen Ed. requirements, and was given the opportunity to attend the 23rd Annual French Film Festival in Richmond, Virginia. I was a little reluctant at first, I'd never attended a festival of any sorts before, another tick against a guy who calls himself a so-called "movie buff"! It consisted of a full Thursday to Monday schedule of a medley of short films and feature-length films, with the directors of these movies attending the screenings and answering questions afterwards.

Embassy Sutites Hotel (very Grand Budapest)

We were able to stay in the beautiful Embassy Suites (pictured here), and I personally had to attend at least four sessions of films at the Byrd Theater, located in the tres chic Carytown of downtown Richmond. Saturday morning at 8, six short films were shown: among my favorites were Son seul, Samourai and Mr. Lune, the latter the tale about a little moon creature that I heard being described by one of the audience members as "a comment about imperialism." Only in France, oui? Samourai was the one that most caught my attention, by directors Juliette Sales and Fabien Suarez, opening dynamically with what you believe is a murder, only for it to unfold to be a very humurous comedy about a Thai woman coming to the house of her alleged husband's son to stake her claim at the home. It was bizarre and had a truly great comedic ending.

Inside the Byrd

But the feature film I saw later that day is what I truly wanted to discuss here: Patrick Ridremont's Dead Man Talking, a wonderfully cynical cocktail of political farce, gallows humor and excellent emotional attachment to our antihero, William Lamers, imprisoned on death row, and ready to be executed. When he's told to give his last words, he begins talking about why he came here, and the events that led him to this point in his life. Due to technicalities, the prison keeps delaying his death, and then suddenly the media catches on to it, along with a wicked politician bent on making Lamers a martyr for his own greedy gains.

I'm a sucker for anything related to prison movies (I wanted to be a warden after I watched The Green Mile and then I took that back after I watched The Shawshank Redemption). What I was telling my friends works so effectively in this movie is that it gives ample time to each of the characters, not just focusing on Lamers' struggle. There's the director of the prison and his daughter, who Lamers is practically giving an ulcer, a guard with a troublesome home life, the governor and his bumbling friend, the ice-cold woman working for them (she pours coffee in a fish tank) and other memorable roles that are fully fleshed out. They're not just pieces in Lamers' checkered life, but human beings affected by his decision. Throughout the film is also an abundance of Christian iconography, including the cross-like execution table, the followers Lamers picks up as his celebrity status grows, and...well, you know there's a Judas in there, but I won't say who.

In an interview included in the program, Ridremont cites an influence by the Coen brothers, especially in the exceptionally dark humor that had the audience roaring. If this Belgian film got an American release date, there's no doubt it would be up for foreign film and best original screenplay at the Oscars. It has some of the best writing I've ever seen in a foreign movie, a great cast, score and beautiful cinematography. I hope the invitation is extended again and I can return to the 24th festival!