SFFilm Fest Preview, Part 2: I’m Fine | We Are as Gods | Censor | Poppy Field

My next set of SFFilm Festival films include a homeless mother trying to keep her daughter from the hard truth, a documentary about the founder of the Whole Earth Catalog, a horror movie about horror movies, and a Romanian gay, closeted policeman.

A- I’m Fine (Thanks for Asking)

Within minutes of the film’s start, I knew how the film would end. I was delighted to discover I was wrong. A youthful, homeless widow (Kelley Kali) has been telling her young daughter that they’re camping for fun. But today, the widow can finally pay the security deposit for an apartment…if she can scrape another $200. As she roller skates through town, her shredded nerves result in one major mistake after another. This is a rare film set during today’s pandemic, with almost everyone wearing masks. As well as playing the protagonist, Kali co-directed the film with Angelique Molina.

You can stream I’m Fine (Thanks for Asking) any time throughout the run of the festival.

B+ We Are as Gods

Author, environmentalist, founder of the Whole Earth Catalog, and member of Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters, Stewart Brand has had an amazing life (so far). He was involved with Jobs and Wozniak as they created Apple. Currently, he’s working to resurrect extinct animals, including the Wholy Mammoth. Filmmakers David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg wisely give time to experts who consider that idea dangerous. A conventional documentary about a very unconventional guy.

You can stream We Are as Gods any time throughout the run of the festival.

B Censor

Is this a horror movie, or a serious drama about horror movies? Enid (Niamh Algar) is a government film censor possibly going unhinged by the constant splatter movies she must examine (the film is set in 1985). She’s clearly scared as she walks through a tunnel to the London subway. The loud sound effects (footsteps and so-on) make the movie sound like a horror film. Unfortunately, the film eventually goes over the deep end.

Horror flicks and drive-in movie theaters have a long history together, so it’s reasonable that Censor will play at the Fort Mason Flix pop-up drive-in Thursday, April 15, at 10:00. If you prefer to stay home, you can stream Censor any time through the run of the festival.

C+ Poppy Field

This Romanian film about a gay, closeted policeman would have been great at 40 minutes, but the movie is twice that long. In the film’s short first act, we learn how happy Cristi is with his boyfriend Hadi. But then Christian fanatics disrupt the screening of a gay-oriented film. From there on in, it’s mostly about Cristi talking with other cops and hiding his sexual identity. I have no idea why the film is called Poppy Field.

The film will be available to stream anytime during the festival.