Well, my 3 film analyses have been turned in, my 2 books are shelved, my 1 trip reflection is completed, and I’ve finished a couple interviews — one with a local paper, one with the campus newspaper. (It’s tough, being so popular….) So, I guess it’s time to call the Sundance experience “over.”

But the memories of the trip aren’t going anywhere — I still have a pile of ticket stubs in my backpack. And my fellow team members are all still around. (I can’t escape from some of them!) And the impressions I have from a number of excellent films won’t soon leave me. So I suppose the only thing left to do is thank you for joining me on this “Sundance journey.” I’ll still be “around” here, maintaining the blog as needed, and likely updating on life in general, but this is probably the last of the daily posts.

If you want to continue following me as I finish out my senior year at Taylor, you can find my “normal” blog here. Or, you can learn more about my major (which took me on the trip) here.

If you haven’t already, look me up on Facebook. And my e-mail address is firstname_lastname@taylor.edu, so feel free to get in touch anytime — whether you’re a high-schooler, alumni, or my mom! It’s been fun sharing my experiences with you. And if you ever find yourself watching some nut chasing toads with 3D glasses, do a double take. You just might know him…

In one of my first posts, I mentioned that I really enjoyed Waste Land. Well, apparently I’m not the only one who was touched by the movie — because Waste Land won the Audience Award in the international documentary competition.

As part of the “class” aspect of the Sundance trip, we all wrote theological reflections on some of the films we saw. Let me share with you a version of what I wrote about Waste Land.

For me, the highlight of the festival competition films was Waste Land, a documentary in which artist Vik Muniz collaborated with Brazilian “recyclable collectors” who daily climb over piles of garbage in the world’s largest landfill. The director of the film, Lucy Walker, introduced it with the statement, “Ninety-nine is not one hundred.” It soon became clear why.

Using photographs that Muniz took of the workers as a guide, the collectors arranged materials dug out of the landfill to create gigantic portraits that, from the ground, appeared to be merely piles of junk. But from the vantage point of a multi-story scaffold, the portraits were revealed to be beautifully-nuanced works. The change in the “point of view” played a large role in the documentary and the perception of the landfill workers.

I’ll admit to having prejudices about what sort of person works as a “glorified garbage collector.” But I was astounded by the beauty of human life in this forgotten place. The cast included a gorgeous young lady who was proud to be a collector in a legitimate, if unglamorous, profession — rather than turning to prostitution. Then there was the young man who rescued books from the landfill, and had read Machiavelli’s The Prince! And the leader of the local union had charisma and strong pride in the environmental impact that the workers were having. It was a really “green” operation!

As these “untouchables” were revealed for the people they are, and my own assumptions were removed, life’s sanctity was brought to the forefront. Though there was no specifically-religious emphasis to Waste Land, the people in the film were exalted as far more than the product of random evolution or as “cogs” in some great machine.

Their value speaks to their status as people created in the image of God. I was thankful that this doc forced me to humbly look at how I view people — whether through the eyes of the God who came to redeem the entire human race, or as a middle-class student who won’t venture outside the comfortable realm of “home.”

Before seeing the film, I thought it was “about an artist and some junk.” But by the end of the movie, my heart was broken for the formerly-nameless collectors in the landfill. From God’s “point of view,” they were each unique — like their portraits. Thanks to the doc, they stood out as individuals, rather than just members of a class — each a valuable member of my world. Every one counts… “ninety-nine is not one hundred.”

It’s kind of exciting to know that someone who we were spending time with just a couple of days ago has been nominated! Kavi was a great twenty-minute film about a modern-day slave, created as Gregg’s thesis film at USC. I especially appreciated Gregg’s ability to direct a fantastic film in another language, and his strong use of visual elements — especially color — to tell his story.

The Taylor team strikes a familiar pose...

The photo above was taken on the way to the airport, when my phenomenal team indulged me and agreed to have their picture taken at a Salt Lake City high school. Not just any high school, though.

Sharp-eyed viewers will note that this is the most famous high school in America. That’s right, the fabled “East High” from High School Musical. (Click here to see it in the movie.) And, as a student hoping to work in children’s entertainment*, I was so excited.

I guess after a week of intellectual, heavy independent films, it was comforting to find something that reminded me of a fun n’ light studio film. It wasn’t just an “Everyday” occurence when we found “What I’ve Been Looking For,” but a “Fabulous” “Night to Remember,” to remind me that “We’re All in This Together!”

*Consider this a desperate plea: If you know anyone “in the business,” from the Sesame Workshop to Nick Jr. to the Disney Channel, I’m ready to work!  It could be (ahem) “The Start of Something New.”

(A tongue-in-cheek guide for aspiring filmmakers, and the people who love them anyways.)

1. Your film must leave us with more questions than answers. Though this can be a positive thing for us students, aim to frustrate the average audience member.

2. Edit your film down to ninety minutes, but make it feel like three hours. I suggest everlasting, static shots in which nothing happens.

3. Your film should (metaphorically) punch you in the gut, repeatedly. After all, as was said at the Windrider Forum, Hollywood makes movies to comfort the afflicted — independent films are designed to afflict the comfortable.

4. You film cannot, under any circumstances, include a functional family. If you have this problem, introduce gender confusion, an affair, a meth addiction, or psychological issues.

5. Your film must end abruptly. Resolution is avoided at all costs. See, as soon as the audience thinks that the plot is starting to go somewhere, the movie will suddenly just

Today was my “lucky*” day. Here’s why:

1. Today I accidentally snuck into a movie theater. Yes, accidentally. Past all the security. I’m still not sure how it happened, but one minute I’m outside a theater, and the next minute an usher is directing me to a seat. I left right away, but I still felt bad.

2. This morning brought another Windrider Forum, the ongoing discussion between students at Fuller Seminary, Biola University, and Taylor. We were privileged to have Mark Ruffalo with us this morning, who spoke to us about his Sundance Film, Sympathy for Delicious. And what better forum for discussion about a movie about fictional faith healing than a bunch of Christian academics?

3. Tonight, I got a surprise ticket to Lucky, a great documentary from the director of Spellbound. It followed the lives of various lottery winners, showing how, as one interviewee put it, “Winning the lottery is like putting Miracle-Gro on your character defects.” Re-read that statement. Wow.

4. The director of Lucky, who recently won an Emmy for directing on The Office, is scheduled to speak at the Windrider Forum tomorrow!

5. I got a free cookie from a seminary student. I’m one lucky guy.

(*Disclaimer: No, I personally don’t believe in luck. I’ve been listening to Adventures in Odyssey for too long to believe in it. I just had to get that off my chest.)

From one of the Taylor University students, who will remain anonymous. Asked of a waitress at dinner:
“How big is a sixteen-inch pizza?”

While the documentary kept a really light tone, and kept me laughing at the ridiculous scenarios of the characters, the movie was at the same time a look at the sober reality of what can come from this addictive “second life.”

For instance, one young man lost his fiancee because he couldn’t give up the “non-game,” playing in it for over 8 hours every single day. His choice of character, an 11-year-old girl, became a disturbing, consuming alter ego. He even used a voice-changer so that, when chatting with other Second-Lifers, he sounded like a young girl.

But his story doesn’t compare to the couple who meet in Second Life for virtual adultery, and then carry their affair into secret (real-world) liasions. Two divorces result.

But their story really starts when they try to move in together. It quickly becomes clear that, despite their passionate “love” in the virtual world, the practical realities of trying to love each other day-to-day in the real world are too much. As the woman puts it between tears, “He’s fake… and I’m real… and I hurt….” So, he moves to India.

I noticed that the characters in this documentary were looking to this virtual utopian world, this Second Life, to escape from the real world. Unfortunately, human nature (also known as “sin”) followed them there, leaving a trail of broken hearts behind.

I think this desire for a “second life,” for a paradise where we can be our “true selves,” is natural and good. But despite amazing technology, no human will ever be able to create a forever-perfect “second life.” That sort of life only comes when the “first life” is over. Then, it will be real life. And there, we will feel completely ourselves, blissfully perfected for eternity.

Okay, okay. That got preachy. (Sorry.)

Anyway, Life 2.0 was a movie that made me think… and laugh… and reflect. If you ever get the chance to see this documentary, and you fit into the PG-13 crowd, check it out. Any questions? Leave a comment so I know what you’re thinking. Otherwise, check back tomorrow for more updates– from the real world!

But sometimes, film-going is rough. Like today. I watched four films… the first was an intense emotional drama about a soldier returning from Iraq, dealing with the violent horrors of post-traumatic stress disorder. (Many of us closed our eyes multiple times.)

The second film was a documentary about the “war” between an abortion clinic and a pregnancy resource center that sit across the street from each other.

The third documented U.S. troops in the Afghanistan war. Also intense, especially in the light of what we saw in the morning. And the fourth film was about the end of the world, and how we should just enjoy our planet while we can.

Whew. I miss the good ol’ days of cane toads in 3D.

But the value of seeing these emotionally-tough films was that, at the end of the long day, you could find us Taylor students sitting around a table, discussing our part in the abortion debate. We felt free to disagree about the documentary in Afghanistan, and on the bus ride home we attacked (or defended) the end-of-the-world movie. In short, it was educational.

And thanks to the Windrider forum, we’ll meet with directors of two of these films in our daily “class,” so that we can further discuss their works with them. I can’t wait to hear what they have to say, ’cause at the end of a day like today, I kinda just want to collapse… and maybe cry. 

That, or go find some 3D glasses and a few good toads….