Sproutland

Undoubtedly, this was my favorite film at the 2021 Peekskill Film Festival, where my own film Doom Chat also screened. Cynthia Wade made such an endearing film, rich in its own cinematic world where the widow of a pop culture green-freak tries to move on from her husband's death. And while characters moving on from loss is a short film festival cliche, Wade subverts every expectation in the way she paints this world; the design, performances, character arcs, each next unexpected element introduced scene to scene (jade egg ;-), and the overall mise en scene. There are so many delightfully odd choices, like that exercise group who open and close the film, and effective ones, such as convincing home video that gives Sarah Polley a run for her money. I don't often go to these festivals and feel this moved while also laughing from my gut. This was a real treat, and I was proud to have my work shown shortly before hers screened. Suffice to say, this film earns its cup of coffee, and hopefully some ice cream too.