Editor's note: Over fall break, John McNamara went to New York for the New York Film Festival. In three days he viewed nine films, three of which he chose to preview for The Collegian .
Every October in the Upper West Side of Manhattan you can watch the emerging portrait of contemporary cinema and its elements of America, Spain, Sweden, Senegal and Korea - to name a few countries.
It's all part of the New York Film Festival, which spans more than two and a half weeks and presents films by legendary and novel directors. Film festivals also tend to focus attention on credible films before they are distributed to theaters across the world.
Vera Drake , the new film from British director Mike Leigh ( Secrets and Lies , Topsy-Turvy ), received a standing ovation at its screening.
It's about an irresistibly charming middle-aged housecleaner in postwar England who hides a shocking secret from her family: She "helps girls out" by performing abortions for them.
When this secret comes out, Vera's world collapses in the painful and devastating second half of the film that even moves beyond the issue of abortion.
Vera Drake doesn't trivialize abortion. But it does show Vera's selflessness as she offers her services without demanding or receiving recompense for it. Her downfall grows more and more difficult to watch.
But the film isn't garnering attention for its treatment of a cultural matter.
The lead performance is what's causing the stir among critics. Imelda Staunton, who does not only portray Vera, but also becomes her, is a revelation.
Certainly set to win accolades in awards season, her performance is perhaps the greatest of this year, of any actors or actresses. The viewer's reaction to the subject matter softens as Vera demands your compassion, and ultimately gets it.
Released just over a month ago, Zhang Yimou's breathtakingly beautiful though structurally problematic Hero created a stir at the box office and among critics.
His newest film, House of Flying Daggers , is another visual delight that was well-received at the festival.
A blind showgirl opens the film by slamming extensions of her dress among sets of drums as part of a ritualized dance. It is an inventive scene and a showstopper.
The movie primarily concerns the young showgirl - and the possibility of being linked to an underground clan plotting to murder the current Emperor - and a young government soldier who accompanies her.
It also takes the viewer through some beautiful landscapes. As he did with Hero , Yimou infuses Flying Daggers with radiant colors, and his efforts are truly breathtaking.
Yet the film with perhaps the greatest impact on viewers and critics alike from the film festival is Jonathan Couette's Tarnation , made on a budget of just over $200.
Compiled from home movies and other digital video footage and then assembled in iMovie, the movie chronicles the director's shocking struggle through childhood.
It passes through a series of abusive foster homes and finally dealing with his childhood model/schizophrenic mother.
I was unable to see this film, but it was unanimously praised as a masterpiece for its emotional power, originality and vision, which turned one man's tragedy into a universal tragedy.
It is a revolution in documentary filmmaking and proves that you don't always need money to translate your grand ideas onto the screen.
Coming in the spring is the Ann Arbor Film Festival, so you need not venture all the way to Cannes or Sundance or New York. In the past, this festival has screened films by George Lucas, Brian DePalma, Gus Van Sant and Andy Warhol.
Any student with an interest in attending the festival or even in submitting a film for screening should explore www.aafilmfest.org for further details.