Sundance in San Francisco: Connected at the Sundance Kabuki Theater

At any film festival, the main topic of conversation is the films. While waiting in theater lines, it’s common to compare notes and freely give advice on the films you think people must see and the films that they can miss. Of course, this is all completely subjective. But I do like to hear other people’s thoughts on films, and it’s especially interesting if we disagree. While waiting in a line over the weekend, I was told by a few fellow critics that I could miss Connected: An Autoblogography about Love, Death and Technology. One specific criticism was that – at 82 minutes – the film was too long. I had these criticisms in mind when I saw Connected at the Sundance Kabuki Theater tonight. I had missed the film at the festival, and was looking forward to attending a 9 films in 9 cities event.
From the first minute on screen, I was absolutely mesmerized by Tiffany Shlain’s documentary. The narrative, which weaves the story of her father’s neurological research and his death with her daughter’s birth and a debate on the effects of technology on mankind, is so original and moving. When the film ended, I was quietly crying in my seat and completely unprepared for the film to end. The film coupled with the post-screening Q&A was totally worth a trip across the bay and the price of admission.