Motivational Growth

Motivational Growth is one seriously twisted, fascinating and occasionally imperfect film which deals with a depressed shut-in's relationship with a smooth talking mold in his bathroom. Yep, talking mold - we're going there for reals.

The day starts off with Ian's beloved TV set going kaput ... leaving him with little reason to live. After a failed suicide attempt the incredibly well spoken huckster of a mold colony begins to talk Ian through a makeover of sorts. Which given that he's been in the house for over a year and desperately wants to meet his super adorably cute neighbor strikes Ian as more reasonable than it would most folks. The film has some super well rendered (and often absolutely repulsive) physical special effects, some very strong performances, and perhaps one of the most well rendered and disturbingly realistic takes on loneliness and desperate isolation resulting in giving up on the world that I've seen in quite a while. It's twisted in a range of ways, very well shot, though as I'll get to some things that I didn't absolutely love. But it's a unique vision that's worth a look. Even if you may occasionally look away while you're watching it.

The performances play a strong role in the positive aspects of Motivational Growth starting perhaps with The Mold (who is very clear about the the part) which is voiced by Jeffrey Combs who is perhaps best know from Re-Animator. The harder to carry off role of Ian is handled well by Adrian DiGiovanni who balances the need to be appealing (or at least likable) while presenting on screen as a slovenly disturbing mess with oozing looking bed sores. Danielle Doetsch is perfectly cast as the girl next door who's improbably interested in hanging out with Ian after he's cleaned up a bit.

STIFF is Coming

I've been talking quite a lot about SIFF these days, but with May 3rd approaching it's time to take a brief pause from that and recognize the arrival of "Seattle's True Independent Film Festival" aka STIFF.  Look, I'm not going to get into the whole "true" vs. SIFF part - I'm not about the labels. All that matters is if the festival has something interesting to offer. Many may know STIFF as the festival that traditionally ran during SIFF making attending both challenging to say the least. But starting last year the folks over at STIFF have moved their festival ahead of their larger cousin making it easy to attend both. While STIFF may be smaller it's definitely worth checking out. In keeping with the festival's missions statement the production costs often are lower. But as past entries have shown cheaper to make doesn't necessarily mean less fun or lower quality.

"The Seattle True Independent Film Festival is dedicated to the exhibition of independent, underground, experimental and zero budget films. The festival endeavors to provide cultural exchange and educational opportunities by bringing a diverse selection of films to the area and provide a place for networking between local filmmakers, visiting filmmakers and the public."

Venues are more intimate (the Grand Illusion is the most commonly used venue), prices tend to be more affordable (an all access pass if available runs around $50) and of course there are a choice of parties to participate in.

Festivities kick off May 3rd and run through May 11th. Including shorts, features, parties, awards, and something I'm a bit afraid to attend called Indepenetration.

Unfortunately there's not a ton of films playing that I've seen at STIFF. The full list of films with descriptions and trailers are of course available on their website. Below I picked off just a few options from the STIFF schedule to give a sense what's available.