It’s going to be a blockbuster year for the Cleveland International Film Festival. How can I tell? The parking lot.
The maze of a lot that is attached to Tower City Center is always a little bit daunting, but as I drove up at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday evening, it was sheer madness. There were no available spots, so people parked in all sorts of imaginative ways. Judging solely by the crazy antics of bespectacled drivers fighting over prized parking spots, people really, really, want to watch independent films here in Cleveland.
Navigating the parking garage is nothing, though, compared with navigating the giant, ever-changing board that lists what movies are currently on standby. It’s hard enough for one person to decide what to watch, but I dare you to try making a decision while standing in front of that board with a group of your closest friends. It’s a true friendship tester.
“That one’s too depressing.”
“No, I don’t like thrillers.”
“The line for the other one looks longer, so maybe we should be in that line?”
“I guess I can see this one. Sigh.”
Let’s say you all agree on a film in time to actually see said film, but the film is on standby. There’s that tense 20-minute wait in line, at the end of which you will either get into the film, or have to start your decision-making process over from the beginning.
There are a couple of ways to get around this. You can buy your tickets, as a group, in advance. This option takes a lot of coordination (think shared Google documents and frantic phone calls). If you’re more the independent spirit type, you can each see whatever film you want, and then meet up after for drinks.
Or, you can convince your friends that they should just trust your judgment, as I did on Saturday. They were skeptical when I selected My Kidnapper as our evening’s entertainment – the name alone brings a chill to one’s spine. From the first frame of the film onwards, we were all hooked.
The documentary by Mark Henderson and Kate Horne tells the story of what happened before, during and after Henderson and a group of tourists were kidnapped by leftist guerrillas while backpacking in Sierra Nevada, Colombia in 2003 – and held hostage for three months. The bulk of the film explores Henderson’s journey back to the location of the kidnapping, six years later, after receiving an e-mail from one of his kidnappers – a man named Antonio – who wants a chance to explain why he did what he did, and ask forgiveness.
If you missed this thought-provoking (and heart-wrenching) film at the festival, be sure to check out scenes from the film in the trailer (below), and to catch it on video.
Henderson was on hand for an audience Q&A after the film, and was practically mobbed while leaving the theater. He graciously answered questions, shook hands, and talked about his film – and his experiences – at length.
We’re all glad we saw My Kidnapper. It’s one that sticks with you long after you head home.
My Kidnapper will be screened again today, Sunday March 27, at 11:50 a.m. Tickets are available at the box office only.
WATCH: My Kidnapper official trailer
