I’m not entirely sure how long it took me to accept the facts that I’m now a parent and that my life has significantly changed in many ways as a result. But when it did sink in, it hit me hard. I realized that much of my freedom was not, in fact, going to return any time soon. I also realized that my days of hanging out in smoky rock clubs, going deaf to the soundtrack of indie rock bands turned up to eleven and drinking with my friends had been replaced by arranged dinners and play dates with parents of kids that my kids liked. And my evenings, once spent staying up late writing, goofing off, making music—all gone in favor of the elusive and rarely consistent sleep.

The Waiting List, a completely indie film produced in Portland, OR, is the Catcher in the Rye for Generation X parents. Written by director/producer, Mike Vogel while he was a stay-at-home dad, the film takes the perspective of parenting that many parents would never express out loud. The idea that it’s okay to love our kids and do things for them we wouldn’t even do for ourselves, but also okay to feel or express regret over our losses of freedom is a sentiment that is not often communicated in modern media. Using humor that ranges from raunchy to subtle, the film is a witty and sometimes edgy take on parenting in the 21st century.

The film itself  takes place in a fictitious preschool where parents are required to spend the night at the school to maintain their childrens’ spot on the waiting list. When this particular group of parents is united, we discover that they all have regrets, issues, anxieties and complaints about being parents, which ends up being the common bond that joins them all together. I’ve seen this film compared to The Breakfast Club—and rightfully so—because it locks a group of varied personalities into a room together and forces them to communicate, commiserate and to understand one another. I can totally see that comparison. But it also has elements of a great Woody Allen film or even a Kevin Smith film, with pointed monologues and witty, complex dialog, respectively.

However, more than just a bunch of comparisons, this film is the launching pad for Mike Vogel, who demonstrates that he is a filmmaker with his own unique voice and style. Woven throughout the humor, one can also find some sincere sentiments, betrayal, emotional conflict and young parents making amends with what their lives have become.

The cast is great, with impressive performances by Audrey Walker as the reluctant mother, Jayme S Hall as the comedic stay-at-home dad, Bryce Flint-Somerville as Ben the workaholic troubled husband, Amada Englund as the scheming Kathryn and Teresa Decher as the potentially pregnant teen, Ella. Mercedes Rose also puts in a great performance as the modern day schoolmarm who debriefs the parents on their upcoming night’s mission. Never overstated or melodramatic, the acting is incredibly well-done for an indie film. Each member of the cast is great in his or her own way, putting out natural performances that are convincing and never forced.

The cinematography and editing, for a low budget film, were also well done. There were some genuinely beautiful shots of Portland and some excellent stylized transitions to cut between scenes. I’d also be remiss to leave out the soundtrack, which had a unique and fitting style to it. This film is clearly a labor of love, with no details left to spare.

Is The Waiting List right for you? In short, any parent who’s been forced to sit through Dora the Explorer, watch endless princess movies, strike up awkward conversations at play dates or just generally wonder why they do the things they do for their kids will be able to relate to this film. On an entirely different level, the film has also reminded me that as parents, we can (and need to) carve out time to do things for ourselves or we can’t be good parents. We need to get out with our friends once in awhile, work on our hobbies, do the things that make us ourselves or we become someone we’re not familiar with, someone we may not want raising our children.

If you’re a parent, or hell, if you simply love indie films, keep an eye on the film’s web site for upcoming showings. Next one up is at the Eugene Film Festival and Mike Vogel says he’s trying to get a Portland screening going soon. Did I mention it won for best local feature film at the Washougal International Film Festival this year? Yep. Do check this out if you get the opportunity. And if you don’t, make it happen some other way.

The Green Room @ The Washougal International Film Festival

I had promised myself I’d get back to the Washougal International Film Festival before it left, and the morning after attending my wife’s surreal high school reunion (more on that another day), I decided I needed a quick break. My mission was to catch Clones Gone Wild!, which I was politely asked to check out on Twitter by none other than its star/writer/producer, Chad Mathews. More on Clones Gone Wild! later.

I showed up at the festival around noon and went straight to the Green Room, which was a smallish room, normally used as the Drama classroom at the highschool. While waiting for the noon block to start, one of the festival volunteers came in and we had a brief chat. Turns out their attendance doubled this year, which is great. Shortly after we started talking, the lights went out and the films started. Here’s what I saw:

Thanksgiving

I really liked this short film, full of a deep, dark tension where you feel like something is about to go horribly wrong, but don’t know exactly what or when. It’s the story of a man dealing with life after war and is very timely and real as we learn how to help our soldiers cope with the things they’ve seen and/or done in the name of war. Very well done, with natural acting and a great sense of brooding. Made me want to see more of these characters and witness them develop further.

Diamond

Diamond is a short film that illustrates the effects of drug and alcohol abuse on children. It’s a sad story about a boy who loses his mother to an overdose and his father to jail. When his grandmother comes to take care of him, a battle of wills ensues to keep him from maintaining contact with his father. While it felt a little melodramatic at times, I felt that the film came from a sincere place and was shot very well.

Reflection

Reflection was a dark, almost graphic novel-style short film that felt as though it should have been a full-length film. The acting was well done and, really, for a low-budget short film, the action and special effects were exemplary. Much of the cinematography and editing reminded me of John Woo films, with poetic, graceful and dramatic action sequences. Overall, I wanted to see more character and story development, but I also understand that the story can only be told so much with a short time frame to work with. Hope to see more from this team in the future.

Clones Gone Wild!

This was it, the one I had been waiting for, and I tell you, it did not disappoint. The premise of this short comedy is something along the lines of: what if we lived in a world with clones, and those clones went crazy (wild!) and were eradicated due to their uprising? And: what if a few clones still existed? And: oh, what if you found out you have a clone who is way more successful at, well, everything, than you are? This premise opens up the doors for a short film packed with ironic humor, satire and some great supporting characters. I don’t like to make comparisons, because each film maker has their own slant on things, but I really felt like I was watching a lost Mike Judge film, which is a good thing. The characters were adorably quirky and the plot kept me engaged, never growing tired or looking at my watch. Plus, there were lots of great mustache jokes (always a selling point) and my new favorite punchline, “TONY DANZA!” Seriously, catch a showing of this if the opportunity arises.

The Twenty

Unfortunately I had to leave to make it to an appointment, so I wasn’t able to watch The Twenty. By all accounts, it looks like a well-done film with a great cast, so I hope I get the chance to see it some day.

Thanks again to the folks at the WIFF, the film makers and to everyone I met along the way. Can’t wait for next year’s festival.

At any rate, I caught several films, of which I’ll do some quick write-ups below. I want to thank Breven and her people for putting this on and keeping it free. It really is a cool thing and I’m going to try to make it back before it’s done this year.

The Waiting List

I came in during the last five minutes or so of The Waiting List, but it looked like a really well-done film. There was a great element of humor that felt to me, similar to a Judd Apatow flick, which is a plus in my book. I really want to see the whole thing now.  The  Director was on-hand and gave a q&a afterward. Oh, and it was all produced in Portland!

Bathtub to Happiness

This was a really cute German-made short film. The story is quirky, romantic and humorous in a very European way. The director for this was also present.

Surprise!

One of my favorites. Really well-paced and written, funny and entertaining (sorry, could not find an embeddable version).

http://www.vodmania.com/bande_annonce_aWQ9MjEyJmJhbmRlYW5ub25jZT03MDg=

Clown’s Lament

One of the creepiest things I’ve seen in a long time. What this short film lacks in stamina, it more than makes up for in chills.

Zufallbringen

This is the most ambitious film I saw this evening. Very beautifully shot and edited. One of the Swiss directors was also on hand and he stated that the entire cast was made up of novice actors, which really surprised me, as they put in some epic performances. It had a very Darin Aronofsky feel to it. The story felt a little muddled towards the middle, but don’t let that distract from the overall achievement these two guys have made, who started making this film at the ripe age of 19.

UPDATE: It was very politely pointed out to me that I had incorrectly attributed Sweden as the country of origin for this film, when in fact, it was Swiss made. My sincere apologies for the error. I imagine that would be like saying a Canadian-made movie was made in the USA, so I’ve updated the article to reflect the correct country. That’ll teach me to write blog posts late at night…

There were a couple other shorts, two animations and one comedy. I’m not going into detail on these, but they were also entertaining in their own ways. Thanks again to the Washougal Film Festival team!