The five films in the American Independents section bring Hollywood film stars and indie icons to Wiesbaden. One of the highlights must surely be Romero’s fifth film in his zombie series: The grandmaster of US horror film does not slow down in spite of his 68 years, and shows us the decline of civilization in GEORGE A. ROMERO’S DIARY OF THE DEAD. College students are shooting a no-budget horror film in the woods when they hear on the radio that the dead return to life. And these are everywhere then – there is no escape from the increasing number of zombies.
Harmony Korine, the script writer for Larry Clark‘s films KIDS and KEN PARK (both were shown at exground filmfest), also deals with the fate of outsiders in the droll comedy MISTER LONELY. Look-a-likes of Michael Jackson to Marilyn Monroe meet flying nuns, Madonna, and the Pope. The cast includes Leos Carax, Denis Lavant, Werner Herzog, and Anita Pallenberg.
Hollywood actress Mary Stuart Masterson (FRIED GREEN TOMATOES AT THE WHISTLE STOP CAFE) presents her directorial debut with the wonderful THE CAKE EATERS, internationally decorated and starring stars like Bruce Dern, Elizabeth Ashley and Kristen Stewart (TWILIGHT). The story about the intertwined lives of two families in an American small-town is an homage to love.
In Erick Ifergan‘s JOHNNY 316 though – a modern version of Oscar Wilde‘s "Salome" – love demands its sacrifices: indie legend Vincent Gallo plays a Salvationist who finds himself exposed to the sins of the flesh. Young hair dresser Sarah is his Salome who has hopelessly fallen in love with him. When she is rejected by the fanatic believer, all that’s left for her is to demand his death.
The manic comedy THE WACKNESS by Jonathan Levine takes a look back to the year 1994 in New York: just like the city, the two protagonists – a drug dealer and a psychiatrist – are at a crossroads in their lives. This year’s audience award winner at the Sundance Film Festival captivates with the brilliant performance of Ben Kingsley, whose aged, disillusioned shrink has no more answers to his patient’s questions. So he drifts through the streets of the Big Apple with his charge Luke, the confused school-leaver and petty dealer, with lots of marijuana and hip-hop.
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