Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Billy & Mr. Vig

"AJ Schnack's so wonderfully supportive of other filmakers and I love to see his smile at festivals"--Jennifer Venditti

We also love reading your blog, ALL THESE WONDERFUL THINGS!

Here's an excerpt from a recent post about Billy:

Next up was Jennifer Venditti's BILLY THE KID, the winner of the jury prize at SXSW, where it premiered. This for me was a revelation, an amazingly structured and beautifully rendered film about what it is to be an outsider, starring one of the most interesting characters to grace documentary film since, well Mr. Vig in The Monastery. (It must be a banner year for docs if we can get to meet both Mr. Vig and Billy in the same year.) Venditti's film is so graceful, so funny and yet, at times, so difficult to watch, I found it to be one of the most humanistic films I've seen in some time. There are those who have criticized the film, feeling that Billy was somehow exploited in the making of it. I couldn't disagree more. This is a story of a teenage boy beginning to embrace who he is, coming to terms with what he believes, learning to face his past and have courage in his present. It is, simply, one of the best films of the year.

No comments: