EUFF Wrap.

Special thanks to the Gene Siskel Film Center for Chicago's European Union Film Festival 2010. It really was a great experience. I was able to get to twelve films -- ten either reacted to or reviewed below. The two that I've seen but haven't written on are Hadewijch, the story of a young and beautiful Jesus-follower whose inability to deal with God's invisibility leads her way off course... and The Sicilian Girl, a based-on-real-life story of a mafia princess who denounces the system that murdered her father and brother and takes on an entire village from the Italian witness relocation program. For the record, both were, well, OK, but the first 60% of Hadewijch is a masterpiece. (Before the nosedive, I mean.)

Due to scheduling problems I did miss two that I really wanted to see: Lourdes, which will be released in regular run in May, concerns a wheelchair-bound young woman and her trip to the healing city where an ironic miracle takes place, causing all kinds of questions for everyone... and The Secret of Kells, the Oscar-nominated animation that seems to only be breaking ground in distribution now.

There was a lot of March writing for a simple guy with a film hobby, hence I'm a bit behind the curve here in April. I'm actually worn out from lots of writing in many areas, so I'm going to calm down just a little bit this month. Currently I'm watching really awful horror films just to let my mind breathe easier for a few days -- the kind of stuff I wouldn't probably admit to, and the kind of stuff I certainly don't (typically) care to write about. (Although if you're curious, they will be in my Film Journal).

I plan to watch and write about a trilogy this month: Erik Poppe's Norwegian "Oslo Trilogy," which are Schpaaa (1998), Hawaii, Oslo (2004), and DeUsynlige, or Troubled Water (2008). There will be a few less bloggings this month, but I'm certain there's gold even in just these three films.