deviantpix

I first saw BIRTHDAY at the Anchorage Film Fest played before a packed house in the dead of winter. It still gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. This is not due to the Alaska cold, but rather the amazing power it held over everybody. I was so moved I caught a second screening of it two days later and only found more to love. I do advise one bring tissues, however. This is one of the few films that everybody stays for the end credits-- praying the lights don't come up before they've wiped away the telltale tears. There was not a dry eye in the house – but trust me – it's the best possible kind of tears. The kind that remind you that you're human and glad of it.

I was shocked to see a less than positive review (among the other glowing ones) that made me realize something I think is worth sharing. This movie, though quite distinct, reminded me of Sofia Coppola's LOST IN TRANSLATION – one of my favorite films and another film that seems to meet with similarly divided reactions. I've met those who just "don't get it" – their words not mind. Some folks feel nothing happens in that movie. Those of us who relate to it see that EVERYTHING happens in that movie. So, if big moments expressed in small, intimate ways are not your cup of tea, you might not appreciate this film. But if you like films like LOST IN TRANSLATION, AN EDUCATION, BETTY BLUE – you're likely to love this one. I can't wait until it comes to the U.S. – did you hear that IFC? Weinsteins? Hurry up and get on the ball please!

The Commune, like its lovely heroine, is between a rock and a hard place in a world of delusional, narcissists. It doesn't fit neatly into some prepackaged genre category that Pod People can easily consume sans participation or reflection. This film is an experience best accompanied by active thought and post-viewing discussion. Michael Bay fans may wanna stay clear.

That said, one would not be wrong to call it a horror film. Like Wicker Man (as many before me have aptly referenced) and many of Polanski's darker films, it ventures into territory far too horrific to suggest it is any other genre. However, the movie I watched was more of a post-modern "coming-of-age" turns "psycho-drama" with speckles of dark humor and surrealism inter-woven throughout. Part Alan Ball, part Samuel Fuller, and a whole lot of the delightfully twisted Lis Fies, The Commune is a wonderful achievement in making a low budget look high, making human ugliness look gorgeous, and making us leave the theater with that same sick feeling in the pit of our stomachs as did American Beauty, Happiness, Blue Velvet and Stepford Wives (the original, that is). The Commune reminds us that while life might sometimes appear to be in pretty Technicolor on the outside, one must never forget to look below the surface where the scariest monsters most often reside.

Kudos to any independent filmmaker who strives for intelligence as well as artistry, without being held back by limited budgets. Double kudos to Lis Fies for succeeding.