Artlog

Wisconsin-born filmmaker Chris Smith is best known for four independent films that limn some of the more curious aspects of the American dream: his first feature, American Job, portrays the dispiriting nature of much minimum wage work; American Movie follows an irrepressible young director cobbling together a regional horror film; Home Movie focuses on eccentric abodes that express the personalities of their owners; and The Yes Men is a “performance diary” of activist pranksters who infiltrate international conferences. Wry, empathetic, and wise, Smith’s films occupy a special niche in contemporary cinema. His most recent feature, The Pool, is the director’s return to fiction. Set in Goa, India, the film is a deeply moving narrative about the intersecting lives of a young hotel worker, an orphaned boy, and the owner of a swimming pool. The Department of Film is proud to present a special preview screening of The Pool on September 1, the final evening of Smith’s retrospective√¢‚Ǩ‚Äùtwo days before its theatrical premiere at the Film Forum. Friday, August 29, 2008, 6:30 p.m., Theater 2, T2 Sunday, August 31, 2008, 2:30 p.m., Theater 2, T2

American Movie. 1999. USA. Directed by Chris Smith. With Mark Borchardt, Uncle Bill Borchhardt, Mike Schank. Ever the optimist, Wisconsin filmmaker Mike Borchhardt is confident he can raise the money to make his next major work through the sales of his short horror film, Coven. Unfortunately that one isn’t finished either, so he encourages an elderly uncle to invest. Smith records the trials, tribulations, and minor victories of a truly independent filmmaker. Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics. 107 min. Friday, August 29, 2008, 8:30 p.m., Theater 2, T2 Sunday, August 31, 2008, 5:15 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Home Movie. 2001. USA. Directed by Chris Smith. With Ed Pedan, Diana Pedan, Ben Skora, Bill Tregle. A treehouse in Hawaii, an abandoned missile launch site, and a habitation where cats rule—these are only three of the eccentric homes explored in Home Movie. Smith travels the continent to discover the strange domiciles that some Americans call home. 65 min. Saturday, August 30, 2008, 4:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2 Sunday, August 31, 2008, 1:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

The Yes Men. 2003. USA. Directed by Chris Smith, Dan Ollman, Sarah Price. With Andy Bichlbaum, Mike Bonanno. According to their Web site, The Yes Men are “a genderless, loose-knit association of three hundred imposters worldwide” who plan mildly subversive interventions and benign mischief at international meetings. The film follows two of these satirists to Finland for a conference on “Textiles of the Future.” Disguised as representatives of the World Trade Organization, they deliver an unexpected√¢‚Ǩ‚Äùand genuinely hilarious√¢‚Ǩ‚Äùaddress. 83 min. Saturday, August 30, 2008, 5:30 p.m., Theater 2, T2 Monday, September 1, 2008, 3:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

The Pool. 2007. USA. Directed and photographed by Chris Smith. Screenplay by Smith, Randy Russell, from a story by Russell. With Venkatesh Chavan, Jhangir Badshah, Nana Patekar, Ayesha Mohan. In the spirit of Satyajit Ray, Smith, shooting on location in Goa with a mostly nonprofessional cast, produced a modest film of profound humanity and universality. A young hotel cleaner, mesmerized by an unused swimming pool in a neighboring compound, soon learns the story of the people who inhabit this place. Courtesy Vitagraph Films. In Hindi, English; English subtitles. 95 min. Monday, September 1, 2008, 5:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2