For me a film festival is like putting a kid inside a candy shop and telling him he can only have a few, select pieces of the sugary goodness. How do I choose?
At the 2011 Sundance Film Festival there are literally hundreds of enticing films that I feel warrant a watch. Many will fail to deliver the expected promise that comes from the always intriguing plot line descriptions in the nearly 300 page festival catalog. Others will exceed all expectations and be seen in theaters within months. I took a gamble on Ian Palmer's Irish boxing documentary Knuckle; it proved anything but worthy.
To put it plainly, the film tells the story of a group of families who arrange organized bare knuckle brawls to help determine dominance. Sending DVD messages to one another, they challenge each other in hopes of winning a little money and a heap of respect. Their actions are ridiculous, their outlook childish, and their evolution during the 12 year film period is nearly non-existant.
James is the center point of the story, but director Palmer fails to ever make us care for his well being or connect us with his viewpoint. Instead, we are shown a series of fights, mixed with occasional narration and inaccurate transcriptions of harsh Irish dialect. The film served little purpose, other than to feed the egos of all those involved. There was no climax, no impending resolution and no closure. It was a documentary that showed the way of life of a few large families, all of whom should be embarrassed by both their behavior and parenting.
Needless to say, this is a low point in the festival. I saw it early knowing it was a risk. Hopefully things get better from here and we don't see this one at a theater anytime soon.
