1. GETTING OUT OF RHODE ISLAND
Christian de Rezendes created this angry, visceral feature about a film project fundraising party bleeding to death due to parallel agendas and fatal pretensions. With an extraordinary ensemble cast and a fiery energy that fuels the film to its harrowing conclusion, this production is the one true masterpiece of the 2002 independent cinema output.
STATUS: Currently being presented to programmers for film festivals for exhibition in 2003.
2. EXILE IN BUYUKADA
From Turkey (of all places) comes this mature, engrossing documentary about Leon Trotsky’s years in Istanbul following his expulsion from the Soviet Union. With a wealth of previously unseen footage and photographs, the film provides a fascinating glimpse into the global political conflict of the late-1920s/early-1930s while following Trotsky’s unlikely journey from Marxist revolutionary to international celebrity.
STATUS: Now on home video and DVD.
3. THE BREAD, MY SWEET
Scott Baio gives an amazing performance in this small, beautiful romantic drama about a corporate raider who rediscovers his humanity through a promise he makes to a dying Italian immigrant neighbor. This Pittsburgh-based production has more genuine charm and sincerity than anything churned out of the Hollywood machinery.
STATUS: In limited theatrical release, with additional U.S. play dates scheduled for 2003.
4. A GRIN WITHOUT A CAT
The long-overdue U.S. premiere of Chris Marker’s epic 1977 documentary traces the rise and fall of the New Left movement of the 1960s. With its overload of rare footage and a stunning grasp of both geopolitics and film editing, the production offers a stunning lesson–history written with a blowtorch.
STATUS: Currently in limited theatrical release, with home video distribution planned for 2003.
5. WAITING FOR GODOT
Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s imaginative adaptation of the Beckett landmark was originally filmed for Irish television as part of a retrospective of the playwright’s canon. But on its own, the film stands as a towering celebration of absurdity and tragedy, as the bedraggled tramps keep their never-ending vigil for the celebrated no-show while struggling to hold on to the remains of their dignity and sanity.
STATUS: Currently on home video and DVD, with a PBS telecast planned for January 1, 2003.
Get the rest of the list in the next part of THE 10 BEST UNSEEN FILMS OF 2002>>>
