Last night, Gretchen and I got home late after seeing the final competition of 2027’s Final’s Week Festivities Series, which was a film festival.  I honestly couldn’t believe that all these films came out of my city, and they were GOOD.  There were entries from Pitt, CMU, Carlow, Robert Morris, and then a few collaborative submissions from students at Pittsburgh Filmmakers. They covered every genre there is, which resulted in quite an emotional roller-coaster ride if you watched them all.

783589_camara_4.jpgThere was one, though, that really captured me.  I’m not sure exactly what I’d classify it as…maybe a “day in the life” kind of film?  And it wasn’t even a day in the life of someone terribly important or dramatic; it was just about a guy in his mid-thirties with a “normal” job and a “normal” life.  What I loved about it was the subtlety.  It brought up many personal issues that are easy to relate to, like the difficulties inherent in balancing work and family and dealing with aging relatives, but it also gently invoked many larger societal issues like racism, xenophobia, sexism and homophobia.  In bringing them up in such a low-key way it was almost like the film was screaming them, and it really made you step back and take a look at yourself.

Anyway, it was Gretchen and I’s favorite, but it didn’t win.  The one that won was an animated film that was very trippy, but indeed very cool.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m actually looking forward to next finals season, which will be (gulp) my last!