DIFF - 4/11

I saw three very different films today at DIFF. I saw "Sweet Kandy," "The Thunder Broke the Heavens," and "Raiders: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made."

"Sweet Kandy" is modestly compelling, dark drama set in Louisiana. From Australian-born director and writer Nichols Peate in his feature debut, it's part film noir and part romance; it's slow-moving, efficiently shot and well-acted by the leads (newcomers Novella Robinson and Reg E Cathey, who looks like a young Matt Damon) and also features a familiar face in Charles Robinson, who you may remember from the "Night Court" TV series. Peate has some narrative and tonal issues, but it's a decent debut. I'm unsure if and when this receives a wide release.

"Thunder Broke the Heavens" is also a dark but compelling and superbly-acted Texas-shot drama from documentary filmmaker Tim Skousen, about two kids, 13-year old Samantha (Alexandra Peters) and her 6-year old brother William Paul (Gavin Howe) who endure a brutal and tragic family situation that leaves them in foster care, only to be forced into living in the woods on their own. Peters and Howe are wonderful in this low-budget but handsomely shot film and Peters in particular is a revelation as the smart, talented Sam, who makes decisions for the pair to keep them alive, and can also beautifully play a guitar and sing. It rambles some in a redundant last act, but it's otherwise a poignant movie that will hopefully find its way to theaters soon.

"Raiders: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made" (also called "Raiders: The Adaptation" in some circles) is a documentary about a few boys in Mississippi who in 1982 at the age of 12, started remaking shot for shot Steven Spielberg's classic action 1981 blockbuster "Raiders of the Lost Ark," something they did for several years; they finished every shot except one, which this documentary explores. This crowd-pleasing, fascinating documentary was also co-directed by Tim Skousen, who did "Thunder Broke the Heavens" above, and Jeremy Coon, who focus on the adventures of Eric Zala and Chris Strompolos, who are now grown adults with families, yet who take time from their busy schedules to raise money to finish the last shot (the one where Indiana Jones is fighting the Nazi on a small airstrip and an airplane gets in the way). Admittedly, it's a cheesy but novel idea (and much of it makes "Plan 9 From Outer Space" look like "Citizen Kane"), but is also fascinating for the amount of time it took the boys to complete it. As well, it's inspiring the amount of commitment and time Zala and Strompolos had (and still have) to see it all the way through. This should be released soon and is definitely worth a look, especially for cinema enthusiasts, who'll get a kick out of it all.