Film Festival

I enjoyed Friday night's Open Frame Film Festival, although I guess I was expecting a little bit more. Most of the films were well-produced; in fact, some of them were enjoyable primarily on their production merit. It was also neat to see the films that some of my friends had acted in or taken part in the production process, and the festival provided a welcome outlet to relax the night away.

I was a little surprised at the lack of depth in many of the storylines. Some were simply pointless (although, in my estimation, some were intended to be so, and thus were effective) while others told a nice story but didn't provide me with a meaningful experience. I'm trying not to be overly critical, especially because I realize that the students put a huge amount of work into these films. It's just that I'm not sure what to blog about the festival, save for hitting the high and low points.

Speaking of low points, I was very disappointed with the gratuitous use of swearing in some of the films. I did my due diligence in keeping an open mind in response to the films, but I was appalled during "Hugging Strangers" (I believe was its title) by the unnecessary, unentertaining, and inappropriate, gratuitous repetition of the "F-bomb." Other films contained similar scenes, although none used language as strong and repetitiously as that film. In light of Eyes Wide Open, I understand that my response should be one of redemption for popular art. What I cannot fathom is why Christians would find such pleasure in creating art that so obviously needs to be redeemed. In my opinion, the producers (specifically of the film I mentioned) neglected their responsibility as co-creators with Christ by including malformed humor that, to me, reviled His name.