AFI Fest Report: Searching for Orson, Cashback, and The Host (Redux)

If you have any interest in Orson Welles, the documentary is essential. It provides a first look at the relationship between Welles and his long-time love, Oja Kodar, as well as a peak at footage from several of his uncompleted projects (The Deep and The Other Side of the Wind among them).  Directors Steven Spielberg, Henry Jaglom, Paul Mazursky, Frank Marshall are among the interviewees who offer appreciations and antecdotes.

I’m no Welles scholar, which means I can’t say precisely what this adds to what is known about the man and his films, but as a huge fan of his work, it was very rewarding.

Even more encouraging was the news shared by co-directors Jakov and Dominik Sedlar that The Other Side of the Wind may see the light of day next year in a version completed by Bogdanovich and Kodar, and the Sedlars have much more footage that may become available as well.

Twitch’s Kurt wrote a gushing appreciation for Sean Ellis’ Cashback when he saw it in Toronto in September, and he put it better than I could.

It’s a very meditative, dreamy picture that feels like a personal essay narrated by our protagonist, the very engaging Sean Biggerstaff. Biggerstaff was on hand for a post-screening Q&A, and was equally charming in person.  In order to recapture the character—the short was made two years before the feature—he had to watch himself over and over again on DVD. The feature is based on a short, and the footage from the short is actually integrated into the feature.

The film has gained distribution in many worldwide territories, but nothing has been settled yet for the US or UK.  As Kurt wrote, “As perfect as many of the women in the film, Cashback is a gem waiting to be discovered.”

We’ve covered The Host quite extensively on this site—have a look in the archives—and my second viewing simply reinforced all my positive thoughts about the film. What’s even more impressive is how deftly director Bong Joon-ho navigates the changes in tone, switching effortless between high drama, inappropriate humor, social commentary, and empathetic tragedy.

The sold-out audience responded very strongly, and it was a bonus to have the director present to briefly introduce the film and conduct a Q&A afterwards.