Take Two Film Festival at Anthology Film Festival day three: going out with a bang!

Initially, the idea of spending another evening at the East Village’s Anthology Film Archives for the third day of the Take Two Film Festival was met with some hesitation. The previous two days had not been great, and that was leading to questions about whether this was the best way to spend a weekend. However, day three was a pleasant surprise and, finally, took all the things that made the first two days look like a dry run and turned it on its head.

Overall, the films were entertaining, stylish and beautifully made. The production team had upped their presentation skills from the previous two nights. Not sure if it was because of all of the suits and dresses in the audience for their awards night, but something really lit a fire under tonight’s team to bring the very best, most professional show they could.

One of the best films of the night was definitely Fidel Ruiz-Healy’s Band of Thieves. Best described as a child-friendly version of Bonnie and Clyde in a Wes Anderson-esque style, Ruiz-Healy created a funny and charming story about Jodie, along with her neighbor Ryan, as she carries out a crime spree in her small Texas town. Ruiz-Healy does an amazing job with the craftsmanship in this film. It is beautifully shot and creates great humor through dramatic camera work. The coloring and editing of the film gave it a memorable pop and played a big part in landing a lot of the film’s humor through great timing and exaggeration.

Another noteworthy short of the night was definitely Fruitcake. Set in the 1950’s suburbia, this movie told the dramatic story of Rosemary and Sallie and the unhappiness that’s plaguing these two wives. This is a movie with a message, and it strives to make a stylized point about conformity and its cost. Director Seth M Sherwood did an excellent job of showing us around his world and building these characters and their relationships. He also did an amazing job of creating this fittingly stylized horror as the short courses through its second act. 

It needs mentioning that the Q&A between Fidel Ruiz-Healy and Broadway producer Fran Kirmser was the absolute best one of the entire festival. Not just because of the interaction between Ruiz-Healy and Kirmser, but because of the attention to detail finally afforded to the interview. 

It is easy to say that had this whole weekend played out like today, the Take Two Film Festival would have been an amazing experience. Hopefully, next year will be of the quality seen on day three, and the festival makes it a point to hold themselves to a higher standard with all of their film selections.

Robert Malone

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