Tropical Depression Movie Night

"The Voyagers," directed by Penny Lane

I first saw The Voyagers at the New Orleans Film Festival in 2011, where it won Best Experimental Film. I watched all of the finalists (or maybe all of the entries, knowing me). This was perhaps the least experimental but far and away the best. My pal Roger Beebe (who typically prefers his motion pictures non-narrative and strange) was a judge, and he said it would be obvious which film won; he was right.

The short, sixteen and a half minutes, was directed by Penny Lane. Before hitting the festival circuit, it had an unofficial premier at her wedding, on June 12, 2010. As it happens, that was the day I turned 31. I got married two years later, on June 9. We didn’t show a movie but Grace played the trombone.

I watched The Voyagers today with my five-year-old daughter.

“So what kind of movie was that anyway?” she asked when it was over.

“Well, it’s…a short,” I said.

“Like a poem?” she asked me.

Yes, I said, like that.

For some reason the sound seems to be a little low, so make sure to turn it up. It will take only sixteen minutes and thirty seconds of your time. Let me know what you think.