Obselidia is a 2010 American road drama film written and directed by Diane Bell in her directorial debut. It stars Michael Piccirilli, Gaynor Howe, and Frank Hoyt Taylor. It tells the story of a lonely librarian who believes love is obsolete until a road trip to Death Valley with a beguiling cinema projectionist teaches him otherwise.
| Obselidia | |
|---|---|
 Official promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Diane Bell |
| Written by | Diane Bell |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Zak Mulligan |
| Edited by | John-Michael Powell |
| Music by | Liam Howe |
Production companies |
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Release date |
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Running time | 96 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $140,000[2] |
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2010, where it was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Prize and the Excellence in Cinematography Award. It was then self-distributed,[2] and received positive reviews from critics. At the 26th Independent Spirit Awards, it was nominated for Best First Screenplay (for Bell) and the John Cassavetes Award.
Plot
On his quest to catalogue soon obsolete occupations, George (Piccirilli) a librarian joins forces with a silent film projectionist (Howe), and together they journey to Death Valley to interview a maverick scientist (Hoyt Taylor) who is predicting the imminent end of the world.
Cast
- Michael Piccirilli as George
- Gaynor Howe as Sophie
- Frank Hoyt Taylor as Lewis
- Chris Byrne as Mitch
- Kim Beuché as Jennifer
- Michael Blackman Beck as Paul
- Linda Walton as Linda
- Grant Mathis as Monk
Production
Obselidia was loosely inspired by several films, with Diane Bell saying:
This movie is born from a deep love of movies, so there are literally thousands of inspirations. A few of the key touchstones: for the look of the film, Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas and François Truffaut's The Man Who Loved Women; for driving scenes on a low budget, the great B-movie, Gun Crazy; for cycling, Jules et Jim; for romance, Woody Allen's Annie Hall and Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise. For a go and do it attitude, John Carney's Once and Luc Moullet's Brigitte et Brigitte.[3]
Principal photography took place in Death Valley Junction, Ballarat, Los Angeles, and Santa Monica, California.
Reception
Critical response
Todd McCarthy of Variety stated, "Gentle, intelligent, gorgeously made and utterly eccentric, Obselidia exists in its own little world entirely apart from any hitherto detected categories of American independent filmmaking." McCarthy also wrote, "Visually, the picture is a thing of great beauty."[4] David D'Arcy of Screen Daily remarked, "Bell's ambitious script seeks a new and charmingly humorous perspective on consumerism and environmental decline, but leans on didactic aphorisms in the dialogue between George and Sophie."[5]
Accolades
| Year | Award / Festival | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Sundance Film Festival | Alfred P. Sloan Prize | Obselidia | Won | [6][7][8] |
| Excellence in Cinematography Award: Dramatic | Zak Mulligan | Won | [9] | ||
| Ashland Independent Film Festival | Best Feature | Diane Bell | Won | ||
| 2011 | FEST Youth Video and Film Festival | Best Fiction | Won | ||
| Independent Spirit Awards | Best First Screenplay | Nominated | [10] | ||
| John Cassavetes Award | Diane Bell, Chris Byrne, Matthew Medlin | Nominated |
References
Further reading
- Valenti, JoAnn M. (2010). "Lights, Camera …Action? Are We Missing Data on Real Change From Environment in Films?". Applied Environmental Education & Communication. 9 (2): 75–77. doi:10.1080/1533015X.2010.482460.
