Telluride Last Day Sept 5

I cannot believe the festival is over already! It zipped by faster than ever!

Monday ( Labor Day) films:

1. What a start to today! Maudie is about a severely arthritic young woman ( played superbly by Sally Hawkins) who is a misfit in her Nova Scotia village but finds some love and peace in her painting and husband ( Ethan Hawke).  Based on a real story.  Fabulous!  Almost everyone's favorite film. I ran into the Irish writer/ director Aisling Walsh and got to tell her how much the film was appreciated.  ( I'm more chatty here because a) I'm writing the next day and b) it's not late at night😉) This film & actors should get big attention.

2. Graduation-- a Romanian film about a doctor trying to help his daughter complete her baccalaureate exams, but many things go wrong.  This was so-so.

3. Moonlight. Wow!  Powerful story about a boy growing up in " crack- ridden, poverty- stricken " Miami. Based on a play; this cast is very strong.  I ran into a lead actor walking out of theatre & got to chat a minute.

4. Lost in Paris. This is a slapstick story about a sheltered Canadian librarian who goes to Paris in search of her elderly aunt.  This was a perfect ending to the festival because it was light and got me in the mood for France.  ( but if you don't like really broad humor, it might not be for you.)

Overall reflections:

- I have never seen as many actors/ directors up close as I did this time.  I also spoke to more celebrities than ever.
- The festival went by faster than ever.
- I rarely saw my 4 travel companions as they stayed up the mountain near our condo (as they had a festival pass that only allowed them to go to that one theatre). I was free to go all over, and I did.  My phone says I walked 9000-11,000 steps a day)
- I may consider staying alone down in the valley nearer the venues next year... Unsure...
- I really liked most films and only thought a few were not great.  All were worth seeing.
- I spoke to more strangers than usual and enjoyed visiting with them.  Examples: One was a critic for the Denver post; One young lady lives in Dubai where she runs a film festival; one couple from Dallas knew the Texas town where my brother lives because they grew up there; one was the Cambridge scholar volcanologist for the Inferno film.  This was interesting stuff!
- for me a big part of the festival is hearing the back stories in the interviews done before some films and seeing actors, directors, etc. around town.

Ratings
I REALLY liked the A+ and A movies; I very much enjoyed the B ones and also recommend them, though for certain tastes;

A+
Manchester by the Sea
Sully
Maudie

A
La La Land
Arrival
Wakefield
Moonlight

B
Franz
Una
Into the Inferno
Lost in Paris

Others:
Bright Lights
Chasing Trane
Graduation