WHAT WOULD WE DO WITHOUT THE INDEPENDENT FILM INDUSTRY?

    Here it is, only mid-January, and I have seen 2 films that will make my top 10 list for 2011 in less than one week.
    They are RABBIT HOLE and BLUE VALENTINE.  I realize that both films were released in December in LA and NY to qualify for the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards (the former being held on January 16 and the Oscars on February 27).  But I didn't see them until they opened in Washington, DC last week and I had already made my top 10 films of 2010 list so I will have to wait until the end of 2011 and include these 2 fine films at that time.
    RABBIT HOLE was adapted for film by David Lindsay-Abaire from his own play and what could have been simply depressing and sad is both funny and poignant thanks to the deft hand of director John Cameron Mitchell, who directed and starred in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch."  Playing the grieving parents are Nicole Kidman (in her best performance to date) and Aaron Eckhart, who are trying, but not having much success, at getting over the loss of their young son (hit by a car while chasing after his dog) and getting on with their lives.  Eckhart is also terrific and Dianne Wiest, as Kidman's mother, adds dimension and warmth as she always does in any film she appears in.  Sandra Oh, as another grieving parent, is also a delight.  This is a film that may break your heart but will enrich it at the same time.  Its tears are well earned.
    I saw BLUE VALENTINE at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Md.  This magnificent deco palace built back in the 30s has been restored to its former glory and to view a film in this auditorium is a treat almost beyond description.  Comfortable seats and a state of the arts sound system (THX).  This is another film that could easily have been dismissed as derivative and oh so depressing, but, again, strong performances not only prevent a feeling of 'been there, done that' but make the story compelling and heartbreaking.  The old 'boy meets girl, boy marries girl, girl gets over boy and the two make each other miserable as the years goes by' scenario feels fresh here thanks to Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, two of the best actors in film today.  They are both appealing, easy on the eyes and in a word, brilliant.  Director and co-writer Derek Cianfrance
has taken a time worn theme and made it fresh, funny and riveting.   Great acting from everyone including the little girl who plays their young daughter.
    Make a point of seeing these 2 films.  Make the effort to find a theatre where they are playing and go, go go.  Or else we take the risk of seeing fewer and fewer of these kind of films made for our viewing pleasure.