DAY 6: THE PENULTIMATE DAY

Ethel Kennedy had so many children that even they couldn't remember how many siblings they had. In this new documentary on the Kennedy Matriarch, Robert F. Kennedy Jnr. challenges one of his sisters claim that they number 11, and he proceeds to name just 10. The 11th and youngest is Rory and she is the filmmaker and the one actually sitting in front of him!

The fact that this insightful profile on one of the most powerful women in the Kennedy Clan was made by her daughter, a respected and successful filmmaker,  and by having her mother's involvement it included  a treasure trove of previously unseen photos and videos.  Not that the family connection made it plain sailing as Ethel proves to be both modest and intensely private, but the very expressive face spoke volumes when the topic just got too personal for her comfort.

Ethel was born a Skakel, part of a self-made Massachusetts family who went on vacations with the blue-blooded Kennedy family, where she met and fell in love with Robert.  He actually dated her sister for 2 years, but her patience paid off and she soon had him up the aisle.  Ethel had very old fashioned ideas about married life and she very happily devoted her life to her husband and to her children too. When his eldest brother Jack ran for the Senate, Robert became his Campaign Manager and Ethel got her first taste of campaigning which, unlike her shy husband. she took a real shine too. Even more so when her brother in law later  ran for the Presidency and she threw herself enthusiastically into the campaign.

Meanwhile she was endlessly pregnant (as Rory pointed out, for 99 months of her life in total) but that never slowed her from always being at her husbands side, and and at the same time creating an almost magical country home life for the children. Each of them enthused on camera as to how much effort Ethel invested in making their childhood so much fun and including a whole menagerie of animals with a  herd of horses and countless dogs. ('I cannot remember a time when we had less than 16 dogs'). She actively encouraged the children to play as many sports as possible and tried to passed on to them her highly competitive nature ('There is no such thing as coming second, unless you were a Shriver').

Ethel was there propping up her husband who almost fell apart when President Kennedy was assassinated; she was his biggest supporter when he ran for the Senate always dragging the children along to every stop on the Campaign trail; and she was by his side as usual the day that an assassin took his life too. She found herself a widow at 40  years old and pregnant with her 11th child

After his death Ethel's strength which seemed propelled by her deep Catholic faith saw her somehow empowered as  single parent determined to aggressively take  on the roles of both father and mother to her brood whilst at the same time throwing herself into a carrying on her husbands commitment to social reform with such great zeal.  True she led a very privileged life with a host of staff to perform most daily functions, and she never had to ever worry about money, but what comes thorough  so strongly in the film is that even though she chose to be in her husband's shadows, she was a real tour de force in her own right.

Usually the Kennedy woman who is talked about endlessly is Jackie (and she is barely mentioned in this movie probably because the two women 'allegedly' really disliked  each other). It was therefore fascinating to have this  behind-the-scenes intimate portrait of the  woman who as the matriarch of the 'other branch' of  America's nearest thing to a Royal Family who resolutely used her moral principles for the common good despite  the heartache of she had to deal with along the way (two of her children died tragically too, a nephew was convicted of murder). In this poignant profile by her youngest child Ethel Kennedy is shown as a quick-witted woman with a sparkling sense of humor and a great deal of compassion, and one who would/should have been a great First Lady.

When the first movie we see in the morning  is as great as this, it bodes well for a good day at Sundance.  We would expect that usually to  compose of catching five movies; one  or two gems, one quite good one, one so-so, and always one so bad you just have to walk out way before the miserable end.  The latter one was next on my list that day, although we had no idea when we sat down in our usual excited anticipation.

'KID THING' was being shown in Sundance's 'NEXT' category which according to their blurb 'encompasses bold works shown by promising filmmakers distinguished by an innovative forward-thinking approach to storytelling.' Hmmm.  It was about 10 yr. old Annie living on a small farm in Texas with two men, one of whom I think was her father but he makes no attempt at parenting just leaving the little brat to run wild on her own and aimlessly getting up to pointless mischief.  No school, no friends etc. and nothing much happens at all  for what seems like an eternity (actually 40 minutes) and there is hardly any dialogue except when she is playing on her own in the woods and she starts hearing voices.  So do I by then.  Mine are saying get the hell out of there.  So I do.

I actually check my schedule and see that Herr Obersturmfuhrer Kareem has me only down for seeing a mere four movies today, so we actually get time for lunch today.  I wouldn't call it a rare treat  .... rare it is, but the food in the Strip Mall where these particular  theaters are, is as almost as palatable as the movie we have just left.

One burger and some onion rings later from our fine dining experience and we at back inside watching a cute Latino coming-of-age story MOSQUITA Y MARI.  Set in L.A.'s predominately immigrant Huntington Park area it tells of two Mexican teenage girls who become neighbors.  One of them Yolanda, who's nickname is Mosquita, is a good girl who lives in a nice home with hard-working pushy parents who are proud of their daughter who gets straight A's at school and who  is on track for college.  Mari, the other girl is a toughie living with a younger sister who she looks out for, and her mum, and as the family are undocumented aliens work is hard to come by and they are so broke that they always on the edge of being evicted. On Mari's first day at High School she is assigned to be Yolanda's study mate, and at first they do not hit it off at all as they appear to be complete opposites. But then a  friendship blossoms and later to the confusion of both girls it is on the cusp of developing into something much  deeper than that.

After seeing the very disappointing 'FILLY BROWN' the other day, it's refreshing  to see this very sensitive treatment of these young girls dealing with their burgeoning sexuality without having to resort to all the usual cliches and stereotypes that litter movies based in Latino communities .   

For the last movie of the day I get to slip away from Kareem  & Viv to see a comedy.  And a really good one at that.   'YOUR SISTER'S SISTER' the 4th feature directed by Lynn Shelton ('HUMPDAY') tells the story of  Jack who hasn't recovered from the unexpected death of his brother, and one year on is still drifting aimlessly through life broke and without a job.  Hie best friend Iris, who also happens to have once been his brother's girlfriend, stages an Intervention and  insists he literally gets on his bike ad catches a Ferry to a remote island where her father has a hideaway.  When he arrives at the house in the middle of the night he discovers its already occupied by Hannah, Iris's sister, who has the same of idea of escaping the world as she has just broken up with her girlfriend of seven years.  So both trapped in the house and feeling sorry for themselves they get absolutely smashed and end up in bed for some very unfulfilling sex.

Meanwhile next morning Iris, finding  herself at a loose end in the city, turns up at the house unexpectedly and is totally surprised to find her sister there and that's when the fun starts as these three lonely souls all have their own hidden agendas.


This wee entrancing and delightful movie was evidently shot in just 10 days and binds together so well with spot on performances by the three actors.  Iris is played by Emily Blunt, Rosemarie Dewitt plays Hannah her sister, and Mark Duplass is the quick-witted Jack.  Mr Duplass (one half of the filmmaking Duplass Brothers who wrote, directed, produced and sometimes acted in,  three excellent movies : 'The Puffy Chair', 'Cyrus' and 'Baghead') actually conceived the plot which he took to Lynn Shelton (he had starred in Humpday) and most of the script was improvised. Maybe that's why it felt so fresh and engaging 


Mr. Duplass and Ms Shelton are very busy people it would seem.  They both act in another movie at Sundance 'SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED' and if that is not enough for the prodigious Mr Duplass he also wrote the screenplay for his actress wife Kate Aselton who's directing edbut 'BLACK ROCK' is premiering here too. Mr and Mrs Duplass also both star together in the TV series 'The League'  !  

Emily Blunt

They were also some of the many stars that made an appearance at Sundance and some how manage to avoid slumming it with me. The town (but not me!) also sees other celebs that you would never expect i.e. country singer Taylor Swift was at the Premiere of Ethel.

Bradley Cooper

Meanwhile some visitors who obviously dont even hang around in movie theaters at all undeservedly get all the breaks.  We met an excited Italian women at the Sundance Lounge who had managed to snatch photos of herself with two actors that she had never heard of.  They were Bradley Cooper and Denis Quaid!  

I'm just going to contend myself with the one (half) sighting we had on the bus today of  a young star of tomorrow, an Egptian/British lad called Fady Elsayed. Evidently he was in 'MY BROTHER THE DEVIL' which we will not be able see as we are now on countdown for our last day here.  However he said he was very good, and who am I not to believe him?

Main Street starting to look quiet again :it's almost time for the Fat Lady to sing........