story in a stolen suitcase · 11/08/2008 11:19 pm by Bron
Lost Holiday was the second Rev Fest screening I saw this year. I didn’t think much of the shorts- only a couple reeled me in: the quirky Rubberheart (USA), and Manden Og Magen (The Man and the Albatross, Danish) which I thought was beautifully poignant. Ending the series with DJ Dazz (Aussie Oi Oi) was a bad move. I suppose if they were trying to capture the pain of it all, I certainly felt it.
To be honest there were a few moments in Lost Holiday where I found myself cringing. The struggle to develop the plot for one was a little too obvious, and this then spilt over with a messy transition between the filmmakers following the story and then leading it along by the nose as they inserted themselves into the frame.
The soundtrack was just bizarre, but maybe it’s uniquely Czech, and in a way it suited the bubble and squeak that was served up.
I missed the first five minutes, where the objective of the documentary was stated with super: to find out if people could be located, just with the use of photographs. Their toolbox: 22 rolls of film that were discovered in a suitcase discarded in a skip bin in a run-down part of Sweden. I get the feeling this neat little objective was refined only after the film had been completed, and they could work back-to-front.
It was worth it though- the reunion is hilarious! Made even more so by the fact we learn almost nothing about what these men were doing on their travels and why they visited the places they did. Such ceremony, for so little. An exhibition, a documentary, and a round of news stories, for a few smiles and, “hey, that’s me!” Hilarious.
Can we talk about this when I get back from Alaska? Lead feet