Archie Williams (Gabriel Sunday) is a cameraphile, a introverted, shy, but extremely emotional teenager. For clearly some time now he has been recording his inner feelings and thoughts, and expressing himself through video. After he’s introduced himself and his life to us through his eye (Read: Camcorder & Computer Editing Suite), we follow Gabriel to his video class. Gabriel informs his teacher that for his final video class project, he’s going to kill himself.

Archie’s world gets turned upside down following this statement. He’s then put through counseling, and questioned by his parents, teachers, and fellow students. They express shock, disappointment, and some even ask him how he’s going to do it, why, and when. Following this event, whenever you see Archie interact in public, you wonder, why would this nice shy kid even think about doing something like this? Was it for attention? Where is it coming from? But through his lens, we see Archie quite intimately, alone, in the dark of his parent’s guest house, struggling with his family life, his social life, and the world around him.

Archie then finds himself suddenly connecting with the “most popular girl in school,” the at-first unattainable Sierra (Brooke Nevin). Without giving crucial plot lines away, we watch Archie connect with Sierra, through her own struggles and personal losses.

The film is cut so tight, and so fast, for pretty much the entire first quarter, you are bombarded with imagery. Director David Lee Miller told the audience at the IFFBoston Q&A that ‘My Suicide’ looks the way that it does, because they wanted it to be a film that represented how Archie would have made his film.

By the last act, I was completely into the characters, and when certain events transpire, you can’t help but feel strongly for what is being played out on the screen. Miller together with the performance of Sunday make this film feel so genuinely real that at times you do forget the fact that the film isn’t an actual documentary pieced together from Archie’s footage.

We’ve seen films in the past few years represent the “Youtube” reality TV generation. Films shot and presented as if the characters in it were making it, from Blair Witch to Cloverfield. But ‘My Suicide’ presents it in a way that feels completely fresh. Archie is doing a bulk of the filming (as do other characters), and it really does feel like he’s the one doing the edits, doing the animations (which are wonderful), and in control of the entire film.

‘My Suicide’ is a unique take on a genre which I don’t even know has a name yet. It is a heavy, deep film that stays with you long after its over. I look forward to seeing it have a wider run hopefully by the end of this year.

I also wanted to take a moment to mention the Facebook page for ‘My Suicide,’ they are looking to build a community behind the film and its message, and if you saw the film, or are interested in learning more about it, you can find their Facebook page here.

This year for the first time I was able to find some time to check out one of the festivals many panels, a session titled “Working Both Sides of the Camera: Actors Who Direct, Directors Who Act.” The panel featured actor directors Katie Aselton (The Freebie), Amber Benson (Drones), Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture), and Linas Phillips (Bass Ackwards). It was great to see these individuals discuss their work and describe what its like to work both sides of the camera. The panel was moderated by Zak Lee, and was eventually opened up to the audience for questions.

So the Festival may be half-started (I hate to say half-over, because that would be admitting that I only have a few more days to see a ton of great movies), but there are still many films that you should check out, films like ‘The Parking Lot Movie, ‘My Suicide,’ ‘The Elephant in the Living Room,’ ‘Orgasm Inc,’ ‘The Killer Inside Me,’ ‘Life 2.0,’ Putty Hill,’ ‘Tiny Furniture,’ Searching for Elliott Smith,’ and MORE!

So if you still need to buy tickets, click here.

Also, I just wanted to echo here on LonelyReviewer.com a message I’ve heard all week. IFFBoston is a completely volunteer run, non-profit festival. If you’ve been to the festival, you know how great it is, so if you haven’t yet, pick up some of their great merch (T-shirts, bags etc), or visit http://www.iffboston.org and click on the Donate button. Any amount will help them out! Thanks for reading Lonelyreviewer.com

Our coverage will begin with spotlights on films next Monday!

The opening night film is ‘The Extra Man’ starring Kevin Kline. The actor  will be in attendance accepting the IFFBoston 2010 Career Achievement Award.

The film is directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini (American Splendor) and based on the novel by Bored to Death creator Jonathon Ames.

Opening night is Wednesday April 21 at the Somerville Theater, get your tickets for this screening here.

NARRATIVE FEATURES

Bass Ackwards

In this feature by Linas Phillips, a man fresh from a break-up with a married woman embarks on a road trip in a VW bus.

Cairo Time

Patricia Clarkson stars in this romantic drama about a brief, unexpected love affair that catches two people completely off-guard.

Cell 211

In this Goya Award-winning suspense thriller from Spain, a rookie guard is trapped inside a prison during a riot and must pretend he is a prisoner to survive.

Cracks

Sexual tension between a teacher and her students simmers to a boil in a 1930s female boarding school.

Le Donk & Scor-Zay-Zee

A former roadie, Le Donk, aspires to take a rapper from the Midlands to the heights of fame with the help of the Artic Monkeys in this mockumentary by Shane Meadow (THIS IS ENGLAND).

Down Terrace

This genre-busting film depicts the members of a crime family as they attempt to restore their business dealings after time spent in jail.

Drones

An unassuming guy is shocked out of his dull, everyday work routine when he discovers that his co-workers aren’t exactly from this planet in the latest film by Amber Benson and Adam Busch.

The Extra Man

In this urbane comedy, Paul Dano and Kevin Kline play writers who sideline as escorts for wealthy widowed socialites.

Father of My Children

This French drama serves as an exploration of the hardships of filmmaking and rumination on loss and hope.

The Freebie

In Katie Aselton’s directorial debut, a young couple (Dax Shepard and Aselton) consents to permit each other one night of freedom from their monogamous relationship.

The Good, The Bad, The Weird

In this Korean Western, three Outlaws in 1930s Manchuria attempt to recover a map to buried treasure in this frenetic, high-octane action film.

Harmony and Me

Recently dumped, Harmony seeks solace through various encounters in this wry comedy.

Hipsters (Stylyagi)

This Russian musical puts a bright new spin on a traditional film genre throwing the viewer into a world that’s somehow both familiar and strange.

I Am Love

The wife of an Italian industrial magnate (Tilda Swinton) embarks on a dangerous affair in this sumptuous film.

The Killer Inside Me

Casey Affleck portrays a Texas deputy sheriff whose dormant violent tendencies resurface. Directed by Michael Winterbottom.

Life During Wartime

Todd Solondz revisits the characters from his previous films recast with different actors including Ally Sheedy and Allison Janney.

Looking for Eric

A postman seeks the spiritual and philosophical advice of famous footballer Eric Cantona in this film by Ken Loach.

Lovers of Hate

Dark comedy about two alienated brothers whose sibling rivalry extends to their relationship with the same woman.

Machotaildrop

Walter Rhum’s objective is to ride for the world’s greatest skateboard company, Machotaildrop, in this surreal, visually inventive film.

My Suicide

Archibald Holden Buster Williams’ school project is to kill himself on camera.

Perrier’s Bounty

This thriller set in Dublin stars Brendan Gleeson, Cillian Murphy and Jim Broadbent.

Phillip the Fossil

Garth Donovan’s gritty portrait of a small town party animal on the brink of evolution or extinction.

Putty Hill

After a young man dies from a drug overdose his friends gather to reflect on his life and loss.

Solitary Man

Michael Douglas portrays a used car magnate whose personal demons dismantle his life.

Soul Kitchen

Zinos tirelessly attempts to save his Greek restaurant and relationship with his girlfriend while keeping his brother out of jail in this German comedy.

Tiny Furniture

The return home of newly graduated Aura causes family upheaval as she navigates her family’s expectations and warily chooses between 2 potential boyfriends.

Winter’s Bone

Ree desperately searches for her father whose disappearance after posting bail risks her losing their Ozark home. Stars John Hawkes (Deadwood, Lost).

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

8: The Mormon Proposition

Investigates the Mormon Church’s role with passing California’s Proposition 8.

9500 Liberty

A county in Virginia becomes a battleground for immigration policy in the U.S.

American: The Bill Hicks Story

An oral history about the life of the late, influential comedian told in a revolutionary animated style by the people who knew him best.

Anne Perry: Interiors

Intimate portrait of the author who was the inspiration for HEAVENLY CREATURES.

Bananas!*

Twelve Nicaraguan banana workers sue Dole Food over their use of a dangerous pesticide known to cause sterility.

Bear Nation

From the director of SMALL TOWN GAY BAR comes a look at one of the lesser-known subculture within the gay community. Includes interviews with Bob Mould and Kevin Smith

Beijing Taxi

The lives and struggles of three taxi drivers navigating their way through a rapidly changing city is revealed.

Casino Jack and the United States of Money

Alex Gibney (THE TRIALS OF HENRY KISSINGER) investigates lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his trail of lies and deceit.

Colony

An examination of the loss of bee population that is by turns lyrical and straightforward.

Convention

A fascinating glimpse of the turbulent machinery behind the 2008 Democratic Convention.

Dirty Pictures

The ”father of ecstacy” discusses how chemistry has led to enlightenment for him and his wife.

The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan

Retired US Army Lt. Dan Smith, revisiting the battlefields of Vietnam in 2006, encounters, McKinley, a private who disappeared 40 years earlier.

Do It Again

Boston Globe writer Geoff Edgers fights an uphill battle to reunite the Kinks.

The Elephant in the Living Room

Documentary about the dangers and responsibilities associated with keeping exotic animals as pets.

Erasing David

Director David Bond attempts to disappear to find out just how much private companies and government know about him.

Family Affair

At age 10, Chico Colvard accidentally shot his sister in the leg which inadvertently exposed a shocking, long buried family secret.

His & Hers

A 90-year-old love story told through the collective voice of 70 ladies at different stages of their lives

How to Fold a Flag

Examines the difficulties facing returning veterans of the Iraqi War.

I’m Dangerous with Love

Dimitri Mugianis, addicted to drugs and alcohol is aided by an experimental treatment utilizing ibogaine, a hallucinogen used by African shaman for centuries.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child

Portrait of the short life of celebrated Neo-Expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

Captivating scars-and-all portrait of the iconic, hardworking Joan Rivers.

The Last Survivor

Survivors struggle to understand the tragedy of genocide by educating others about the mass atrocities that they endured.

Lemmy

Follows the legendary heart of Motörhead from his LA apartment to an arena in Russia and back.

Life 2.0

A filmmaker adopts an avatar to fully engage and explore the world of Second Life, an online community where the inhabitants are the digital representations.

The Lottery

Examines the anxious months preceding the lottery for Harlem Success Academy, one of the most successful public charter schools in the country.

Marwencol

A man deals with being savagely beaten by creating beautiful photographs of G.I. Joe and Barbie dolls to narrate his fantasy life.

NY Export: Opus Jazz

In this vivid, gorgeously-shot adaptation of a lesser-known ballet by Academy Award-winning choreographer Jerome Robbins (WEST SIDE STORY), New York City Ballet dancers take to the streets and warehouses of New York, bringing an invigorating new energy to the form

The Oath

The story of two brothers-in-law, close to Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda, and their very different outcomes post 9/11.

October Country

Intimately tracks a year in the life of four generations of a family trying to attain stability in an impoverished area of Upstate New York.

On the Other Side of Life

A gripping account of two brothers struggling to balance modernity and tradition in Cape Town.

Orgasm Inc.

This hilarious and thought-provoking documentary explores the world of pharmaceutical companies attempting to get FDA approval for the first Viagra-like product for women.

The Parking Lot Movie

“It’s not just a Parking Lot. It’s a battle with humanity” This doc explores the lessons of learned by those that work in parking lots.

Pelada

The transformative and influential power of soccer is explored in areas as far flung as Bolivia, to China, Kenya, Iraq and Brazil.

Searching for Elliott Smith

Intimate portrait of lo-fi, indie rock sensation Elliott Smith

Secrets of the Tribe

Fascinating documentary about the effects of anthropologists on a remote tribe in the Amazon

Strange Powers: Magnetic Fields

A rare opportunity to become acquainted with cantankerous musician and writer, Stephen Merritt

Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam

Traces the origin of Muslim punk scene from its conception in a novel by Michael Muhammad Knight to a fully realized movement.

War Don Don

Thoughtful examination of the protracted, costly and questionable process of how war criminals were prosecuted in Sierra Leone.

SHORT FILMS

5 Variations On A Long String

Explores composer/performer Ellen Fullman’s ”long string instrument” that spans over sixty feet to create a dense sound to engulf the audience.

The Armoire

An unforgettably textured tale of childhood secrets that is both haunting and wickedly funny.

Athena

In an isolated convenience store in the middle of the desert, Chuck comes to realizations about himself and the course of his life. Featuring David Thewlis, Harry Dean Stanton and Fiona Dourif

Blackhead

In this darkly comic short, a man with intimacy issues develops a grotesquely large blackhead in the middle of his back

Born Sweet

A boy from a rural village in Cambodia pursues his dream of stardom despite suffering from Arsenic poisoning from the local water supply.

Diplomacy

In politics, some things are lost and gained in translation.

The Fence

Short film about the construction of the fence on the border between the U.S. and Mexico.

Gayby

Longtime friends Matt and Jenn decide to reconnect by having a baby, despite the the fact that he is gay and she is straight.

God Of Love

A lovestruck, lounge-singing darts champion finds his prayers are answeredÑliterallyÑwhen he mysteriously receives a box of love-inducing darts

The Hirosaki Players

A Japanese playwright struggles with his aging, arrogant actor father for control of the play and their relationship.

Invisible Loneliness

A young girl is left alone with only a key to remind her of her father. When that key is lost, she wonders if she will ever see her parents or experience home again.

Iowa Mixtape

Iowa: home of cornfields, Grant Wood, and… hip-hop fans?

Junko’s Shamisen

A young Japanese orphan, and her mystical friend, exact poetic justice on a malevolent samurai lord

Keep Dancing

Blending nine decades of archival film, photographs and present day footage, the passing of time and process of aging is expressed though dance

Laredo, Texas

Sam suspects that Juan, who he is training at his job to fix pay phones, may be an illegal immigrant.

Little Accidents

A desperate young factory worker recruits a mentally disabled ex-boyfriend to steal a pregnancy test for her.

Monkeywrench

A young environmental activist’s ideology is challenged when a forest is threatened with being clearcut

New Media

Living in the lap of luxury through no achievement of his own, an out of touch middle-aged poseur tries to make good by getting in on the ‘viral video’ craze.

One Last Cigarette

A brief encounter between two Parisian smokers leads to an unpredictable outcome

One Square Mile Of Earth

A bunny, frog, goat, bear, hippopotamus and squirrel walk into a bar…

Out In That Deep Blue Sea

A middle-aged man goes door-to-door, attempting to draw clients to his real estate agency.

The Poodle Trainer

A Russian circus-dog trainer rehearses, grooms, costumes, and performs with her purebred poodles.

Quadrangle

Focuses on two ‘conventional’ couples who participated in group marriage in the early 1970s, eager to find an alternative to divorce.

The S From Hell

Throughout the 1960s, a snaky symbol accompanied by a sinister tune appeared on television and terrorized a generation.

Sebastian’s Voodoo

A voodoo doll must find the courage to save his friends from being pinned to death

Seeds Of The Fall

The director of the Academy AwardÐnominated INSTEAD OF ABRACADABRA (IFFBoston 2009) returns with this quirky comedy about trust and happenstance.

Snake Fever

Short documentary about Waynoka, Oklahoma’s annual rattlesnake hunt.

Varmints

Beautifully animated short film about an environmentally conscious creature

Voice On The Line

The soothing voices of telephone operators tempt callers to share their secrets.

Wisdom Teeth

Latest short from existential animator, Don Hertzfeldt.

The Opening Night film for the 2010 Festival will be Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini’s ‘The Extra Man’ starring Kevin Kline, Paul Dano, Katie Holmes, and John C. Reilly.

Kevin Kline will be in attendance to receive the IFFBoston Career Achievement Award to recognize his impressive overall body of work as an actor.

Opening night as in years past takes place at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square, Somerville MA. The festival will have 150 film screenings, filmmaker Q&A sessions, panel discussions, visiting filmmakers, parties and events will showcase the works of filmmakers who seek to create films that are life changing, thought provoking and expose aspects of life in new and revealing manners. Other venues this year in-addition to the Somerville theater are the Coolidge, Brattle, and the Institute of Contemporary Art.

The complete film festival lineup will be announced in late March. All-Access passes to the festival go on sale March 9th and individual tickets will be on sale April 1st, both on the festival website at http://www.iffboston.org.

Film passes and Chrome All-Access passes are now on sale at http://www.iffboston.org/buypasses.

I talk about IFFBoston quite often on this site, it is the most fun I have living in Boston period. If you love movies, and you live in the Boston area. Get yourself a pass, you won’t regret it. The programming is excellent, and the atmosphere, crowd, and people who work it, top notch. I can’t give it any higher endorsement.

Narrative:
Grand Jury Prize: CHILDREN OF INVENTION
Special Jury Prize: BEESWAX

Documentary:
Grand Jury Prize: CRUDE
Special Jury Prize: UNMISTAKEN CHILD
Honorable Mention: THE WAY WE GET BY

Short Film:
Grand Jury Prize: INSTEAD OF ABRACADABRA
Special Jury Prize: I AM SO PROUD OF YOU

Congratulations to all the winners! Tonight is the closing night of the festival, the closing night film is “World’s Greatest Dad,’ with director Bobcat Goldthwait in attendance.

Directed by Marc Webb, ’500 days of Summer’ tells the story of Summer (Zooey Deschanel) and Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and their relationship, from start to finish. Tom works at a greeting card company, and Summer starts as an assistant to Tom’s boss. Tom, something of a hopeless romantic, instantly falls for her. As luck would have it, things work out in his favor, and the pair begin their relationship.

The film tries to be slightly more realistic then your general relationship movies (I use “realistic” loosely here). Rather then, the two meet, the two fall in love, in this, two meet, and the two become friends. Then, one thinks the relationship is one thing, the other things its another (is this sounding familiar to anyone?). The film is told almost all through Tom’s perspective.

The cinematography is awesome, the film takes place in Los Angeles, and the film highlights some of LA’s older architecture, to go along with Tom’s dreams of one day becoming an architect. They really did a great job of showing Los Angeles in a different light, I don’t remember seeing one free way or traffic jam. The whole film jumps back and forth giving you spots from the beginning and end. There are dream sequences that did remind me of Amélie, but this isn’t bad thing.

The film does have some “name-dropping moments,”  as I’ve come to call them. There are a few scenes where the characters discuss some of their favorite bands, The Smiths, Belle & Sebastian, etc. This type of stuff drove me nuts in ‘Juno,’ because it comes off like their trying to prove to me how cool they are by throwing these band names in there. But, it didn’t feel as ridiculous as it did in ‘Juno.’

One thing I will say about the movie, and I don’t feel that its a spoiler because its pretty clear in the trailers that at a point the relationship goes wrong. During that time, you really did feel like you were the one going through the relationship with Tom. You had the pit in your stomach, you had the same hope as Tom that it would work out.

’500 Days of Summer’ could have very easily been a goofy, clichéd movie, but we are convinced due to the stellar performances of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. Both are great young actors in roles that seemed written for them.

So this Summer, catch ’500 Days of Summer,’ you won’t be disappointed.

I keep saying this, IFFBoston is a great festival, so if you’re in the area for the next week, do yourself a favor, buy a ticket and go see a great film. And feel free to check out some of the ones we’ve previewed here on the site.

Check out the trailer at the .

Made on a micro-budget, the film was made over the course of 2-yeears in Hendersonville, Tenessee.

It tells the story of twins Patrick and Carol darling, recent high school graduates, and their coming to terms with the disappearance of their friend Wendy Hearst. They discover that Wendy’s corpse is animated, they smuggle her back home, and try to find a way to bring her back to the way she used to be.

The film screens Friday April 24th at 10pm at the Somerville Theater.

Check out the trailer: