MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL CELEBRATES ITS 34th ANNIVERSARY
WITH OVER 100 FILMS IN TEN DAYS
The mission of Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival is to bridge cultural understanding and encourage artistic development by provoking thought through film.
This year, with so many wonderful films (different genres, foreign and American) shown in select theaters in Miami over a very fast ten days, we had a difficult time choosing which ones to see. So, we saw a few and these are two of the stand-outs we enjoyed.
Although very different story-lines both made-in-America comedies, Carrie Pilby and Chronically Metropolitan, touched on similar themes; blatant flaws in others, compromise in perceptions, awareness of own limitations, and willingness to accept life, as it is, and go on with inner strength. Both films had well-known stars, were wonderfully acted, and had engaging characters.
Carrie Pilby (Bel Powley), is a brilliant young woman who graduated from Harvard at 19, but she is socially inept.
Her therapist (Nathan Lane) suggests to Carrie that she create a plan to get herself on track. That plan includes getting a job, making a few friends, forgiving her father (Gabriel Byrne), understanding hypocrisy, going out with a guy, and trusting herself.
Directed by Susan Johnson, Screenplay by Kara Holden, Based on novel by Caren Lissner
Bel Powley – Carrie Pilby
Nathan Lane – Dr. Petrov (Carrie’s therapist)
Gabriel Byrne – Mr. Pilby (Carrie’s father)
Colin O’Donoghue – Professor Harrison (Carrie had affair with him when he was her Professor)
Jason Ritter – Engaged guy Carrie met by answering his “girl wanted” ad
William Moseley – Cy (Carrie’s neighbor)
Vanessa Bayer – Tara (Carrie’s co-worker and new friend)
Desmin Borges – Douglas (Carrie’s co-worker and new friend)
He returns to pick up the pieces when the hottest gossip item in the newspapers is about his narcissistic father (Chris Noth), a renowned writer and professor.
Confronted with his father’s indifference to how his behavior impacts those who care about him, his mother’s outward acceptance of it, his sister in a relationship with his childhood best friend, and most unhinging, his girlfriend marrying someone else that very 
week, Fenton decides what pieces he really needs to pick up.
Directed by Xavier Manrique, Written by Nicholas Schutt
Shiloh Fernandez – Fenton
Ashley Benson – Jessie (Fenton’s ex-girlfriend)
Addison Timlin – Layla (Fenton’s sister)
Marie-Louise Parker – Annabel (Fenton’s mother)
Chris Noth – Christopher (Fenton’s father)
Josh Peck – John (Fenton’s best friend and now his sister’s boyfriend)