I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and I definitely believe its Oscar buzz and 7 Golden Globe nominations are well deserved.

I watched Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) as he attempted to drown out the voices of doubt in Bertie’s (Colin Firth) head and allow him to finally hear his own. Early in the film he literally does this through music and a passage by Shakespeare. While Bertie does later have that realization, it doesn’t mean that his doubt is completely removed. The film explores the challenges and triumphs of this journey and it’s amazing to watch both men grow through the experience.

There is something about seeing those in positions of power or celebrity struggle with the same vunerabilities and doubts that we all face.

And it was this that got me thinking…

While I don’t have a stammer and have never experienced any major difficulties with speaking in public, I still have areas in my life where I have great doubt and anxiety. I’ve definitely had the moments where I let this voice of limitation and negativity drown out any voice of sanity, reason, or possibility. I may be a “motivational” speaker, but I also have moments, days, or even weeks of “I can’t.”

And yet as I listened in the film to Lionel as he provided the advice and the challenge for greatness to his doubting friend, I found the advice to ring true to my own life–and really all of our lives.

The real voice…

…the voice of truth
…the voice of our capability
…the voice of our possibility

…surprises us, challenges us, doesn’t attend our pity party, supports us, and doesn’t abandon us (unless we actively choose to abandon it).

It also provides us with joy and perhaps a great deal of laughter. There is a great deal of humor in the film, and I believe this rings true to life. When we start uncovering our true possibility, there tends to be pleasant surprises along the way that can lead to smiles and laughter.

So why this blog? Why now?

It’s not just because I recently saw the film.

No, it’s because we’ve just kicked off a new year. Many of us just made new resolutions. We’re going to “lose weight,” “hit the gym,” “read more,” “write more,” “save money for that vacation,” “spend more time with family and friends,” “learn something new,” “quit that bad habit,” “get organized,” “help others,” etc. etc. etc.

We’re three days in and most of us might still be going strong, but in another day or two those voices of doubt might kick back in, and it’s time for us to find the way to push them back, so that we can succeed.

King George VI didn’t solve his speaking problem overnight–it was something that challenged him for years, but he did find a way to lean on someone for help, push the doubt to the background, and ultimately rise to the occasion to provide the voice his country so desperately needed.

I’m not saying you can do EVERYTHING this year. I do believe that all of us have some form of  limitation. I will never be a professional basketball player, President of the United States, or New York Times bestselling author, but this doesn’t mean I can’t improve my jump shot, serve as a leader in an organization, or write a book.

I’ve learned time and time again, be it completing my first marathon, walking on fire, or even just finding that last ounce of energy to meet that deadline, our actual limits are nowhere near our perceived limits. It’s true, we can’t do everything, but we CAN do more than we imagine.

This year, let the voice of possibility and hope be your the speech you to which your frequently listen.

And then come December, let’s celebrate in your own triumph.

Quick bonus: Listen to the actual speech by King George VI

In between long naps yesterday, I chatted with a few friends about my Sundance experience. As I mentioned several times in facebook status updates, it is the best volunteer experience I’ve ever done. There are a few minor “lessons” in this blog post, but mainly it serves as a summary of the major things I did in Park City.

FILMS I SAW (listed in Alphabetical order)

I really did enjoy every film I watched, some more than others. I didn’t see a “bad” Sundance film. If any of these films, come to your local theatre, I recommend you check them out. There is a cool script, an incredible performance, great direction, incredible cinematography, or all of the above. Seriously, watch independent film–you’ll be amazed!

Animal Kingdom…..Director: David Michod…..Winner: World Cimena Jury Prize: Dramatic…..A seventeen year old ends up navigating the Melbourne underworld. This film drew me in from the start and didn’t let me go until its shocking last few moments. Absolutely incredible.

happythankyoumoreplease…..Director: Josh Radnor…..Winner: Audience Award: US Dramatic…..One of my two favorite dramas from the festival. Radnor (best known as “Ted” from CBS’s How I Met Your Mother) delivers an incredible story focusing on the lives of several couples in New York with a perfect blend on honesty and humor.

Howl…..Directors: Rob Espstein & Jeffrey Friedman…..It began as a documentary and slowly transitioned into a dramatic depiction of Allen Gingsberg, his controversial poem, and its trial.

Mother & Child…..Director: Rodrigo Garcia…..My other favorite drama focuses on the lives of three women, their relationships with men, adoptions’ affect in their life, and how all of this might one day intertwine. I laughed and I cried during this one. I’d do an injustice if I tried to describe how well Garcia creates his characters.

The Runaways…..Director: Floria Sigismondi…..The story of Joan Jett, Cherie Currie and the rest of The Runaways is depicted in this drama. No doubt that this will be the film that forever transitions Dakota Fanning from child star to actress.

The Shock Doctrine…..Directors: Michael Winterbottom & Mat Whitecross…..Naomi Klein’s best-selling book is depicted in this incredible documentary that focuses on disaster capitalism and our need to resist policies that develop through fear.

Skateland…..Director: Anthony Burns…..A nice personal growth story set in 1983. It’s a time in transition and and the characters are no exception. Great performance from Twilight’s Ashley Greene (she definitely proves she has what it takes to succeed in this industry).

Sympathy for Delicious…..Director: Mark Ruffalo…..Winner: US Dramatic Special Jury Prize…..A musician in a wheel chair realizes that he is a faith healer who can’t heal himself. Gritty tale that focuses on finding meaning amidst tragedy.

Tucker & Dale vs Evil…..Director: Eli Craig…..I saw this one during the midnight showing at the Egyptian theatre. Absolutely hilarious. Take your standard college-student-road-trip-car-breakdown-crazy-hillbilly horror movie and flip it on its head. Just a fun film!

WAITING FOR SUPERMAN…..Director: Davis Guggenheim…..Winner: Audience Award: US Documentary…..An incredible documentary about the current state of the US Public School system. This one has been picked up and will be out this fall. It’s going to stir up a lot of debate in this country, and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens because of it.

Waste Land…..Director: Lucy Walker…..Winner: World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary…..My favorite documentary from the festival! I’ll be honest and say I wasn’t sure about it from the description, but 15 minutes into the story I was sold. What begins as a story of artist Vik Muniz’s attempt to make profound portraits of workers in Brazil’s largest dump becomes so much more. I’m still thinking about lines from the film and the strength of his subjects. See this movie!

Winter’s Bone…..Director: Debra Granik…..Winner: Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic, Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award…..It feels like film noir set in the Ozarks. From the opening shots, it’s impossible not to feel overwhelmed by the barren landscape and the hopeless situation facing the teenage protagonist. However, her strength and determination as she goes deep into the underbelly of clan rivalries and crime to uncover the mystery of her missing criminal father, makes for a film that resonates with the viewer.

CELEBRITIES I SAW (in alphabetical order by last name)

I have no photos of me with any celebrity/famous person from the festival. In my role as a volunteer, I was there to support them at my venue. I tried to take on this same philosophy if I met them outside the theatre. I did have personal conversations with some of the names listed below, but not all. Some I just saw during the Q&A session after the film or because they were seated right by me in the theatre. I will say that EVERY celebrity I ran into was incredibly kind. I point this out because with their fame and success they still treated me like a human being and took time for their fans. If you happen to be in a leadership position right now and you treat anyone else like they are beneath you, take a note from the kind celebrities associated with the films at Sundance and be kind to those around you.

Malin Akerman, Bob Balaban, Orlando Bloom, Adrien Brody, Geoffery Canada, Brett Cullen, Cherie Currie, Dakota Fanning, Bill Gates, Tony Hale, Samuel L. Jackson, Joan Jett, Kate Mara, Melinda McGraw, Josh Radnor, Robert Redford, Jason Ritter, Joan Rivers, Mark Ruffalo, Bob Saget, Jimmy Smits, Morgan Spurlock, Kristen Stewart, Kerry Washington, Naomi Watts, and Treat Williams.

I probably left off a few names as it became difficult to keep up. The above list is limited to actors. It doesn’t address the many directors, editors, cinematographers, screenwriters, etc. associated with the great films or the many critics from major magazines and newspaper or heads of studios that I came across.

Again, ALL were nice. ALL.

THE OTHER FACTOR

As much as I enjoyed the films and the celebrity sightings, the thing that made this festival so much fun were my fellow volunteers. They ranged from current film makers to business owners, from retirees to college students, from young singles to happily married couples, from first-time volunteers to those associated with the festival before it was even called Sundance. They were from all parts of the US and all parts of the world. Friendships were formed so quickly. We’d laugh a bunch and/or go into some deeper conversation inspired by a film. I’ll continue writing about aspects of the volunteer experience in the next few days. Seriously, the most fun I’ve ever had volunteering and some of the coolest people I’ve ever met.

So that’s the major summary. If you can, volunteer or attend the festival in 2011!

So I’m standing there at baggage claim. Tired. Wait, tired doesn’t even begin to describe it. I’m completely exhausted. For the past week I’ve slept only about three hours a night in hour and a half spurts. I’ve been at the Sundance Film Festival, and I’ve loved every second of it.

My summary blog will come soon; that isn’t the purpose of this one.

No the purpose of this one was getting to ask a variation of favorite Sundance question one last time.

“What did you like?”

I could tell the couple had been at the festival as well. They had the standard green Nalgene/Brita water bottle hanging off their carry-on.

“Winter’s Bone was my favorite,” the man replied. He went on to list some of the other films he really enjoyed. They asked about the movies I loved and we ended up talking for 3-4 minutes until my suitcases arrived and I headed on my way to the parking shuttle.

I rarely talk with people at baggage claim, and if I do, there seems to be a few moments of “is this person crazy?” that delay the initial conversation. Last night, the conversation was instantaneous. It was quickly evident that we all enjoyed film, that we had some common connection, and that we could enjoy a brief visit.

I’ve been experiencing this since January 20th. Anytime I stepped on a shuttle, waited in line at a restaurant, visited the post office, or even waited in line for the men’s room after a film, you could begin a conversation with anyone by asking:

“So what have you seen?”

“What did you like?

“Which film excites you so far?”

“What are you going to see next?”

In my position as a Crowd Liaison at the Racquet Club Theatre, I had this same conversation multiple times a day with ticket holders for the next film or people hoping to purchase a ticket through our waitlist line. It was always the instant conversation started.

Sometimes I’d end up talking with first time festival attendees hoping to see that “great” film, sometimes I’d talk with couples that had been coming for over a decade. I’d have this conversation with critics for major newspapers and magazines as well as the presidents of major studios. The question always worked–it always started a conversation.

With several people that conversation would transition out of film into regular life. I learned about high school students taking a break from class, former medical professors, a group of women celebrating their “girls weekend tradition,” or a mother and daughter taking a trip before the daughter heads to college this fall. I learned about Park City locals enjoying a Saturday matinee, or the film student hoping to get inspired again.

I was spoiled in my volunteer position, experiencing these interactions throughout my eight hour day. Often during my “off” time, I’d run into one of these faces at a film, on a shuttle, in a restaurant, and the conversation would pick up again with them initially giving me film updates and then maybe introducing me to their friends.

As I exited security at the Salt Lake Airport, I happened to run into three girls from USC who had wait listed for Blue Valentine at my theatre a few days prior. Again, that conversation picked up. They had enjoyed the Waste Land, a documentary that I recommended to them, and told me about the rest of their time in Park City. We visited for another few minutes and then headed to our respective gates.

It was interesting to live life like this for a few weeks. I know I’m a social person and do initiate conversations with others, but if I’m honest with myself, I don’t do it nearly as often as I could. I want to do it more now. I want to begin those conversations because I believe there really are cool people out there if we believe in the possibility of that interaction and that connection. No, I’m not going to talk to every person I meet. There were a bunch of people I never visited with during their time in line or during my days in Park City, but I can strike up a conversation with at least one “stranger” each day…

and I think you can too.

Let’s make the world a little bit more friendly.

But you can see from the title of this blog entry, it isn’t about The Blind Side. It’s about one of the trailers I saw before the feature. In nine days, Invictus will hit the theatres. Based on the true story of newly elected President Nelson Mandela and his challenge to unite his country torn apart by years of apartheid, the already appears to be one of the best films coming out this holiday season. The film focuses primarily on the Mandela’s seemingly strange idea to inspire and unite the country by winning the Rugby World Cup.

I watched the trailer and a phrase kept popping out as did the strange title. It took me only a matter of seconds of searching to learn that the phrases come from William Ernest Henley’s poem, Invictus. The words resonate even more when you realize that Henley wrote them from a hospital bed, on one of his frequent visits (he had one foot amputated, and was likely fighting the amputation of his second foot when the poem was written). Still, Henley writes:

OUT of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

The last two lines jumped out of me during the trailer. Those last two lines jump out at me when I think about what Henley endured.

I think for many, 2009 was still a very rough year. The economy isn’t full recovered and a lot of us simply feel a certain burden. News reports about the holidays seem to always transition to pocketbooks. People are in jobs they don’t necessarily like because they are afraid they can’t get new ones. People want to be charitable, but they aren’t sure if they will be the one needing charity soon. And that’s just the economy… that doesn’t even consider war, the healthcare debate, our divided country, etc. It’s a stress. It’s a burden. It’s preventing us from fully living.

I don’t want to gloss over and say that life is easy or that life is perfect. I’ve had several close friends negatively impacted by the economy. Others are currently serving overseas. When I watch the news, I can link the news story to a close friend or relative and it adds.

But then there is Mandela, there is Henley, and a poem called Invictus. The title is latin for “unconquered.” There are many burdens that we will bear. Life will be tough at times, and in those times, we must ask ourselves if we will be conquered or if we can be “masters of our fate.”

]]> http://www.pmaurer.com/invictus/feed/ 1 http://www.pmaurer.com/a-r-rahman/ http://www.pmaurer.com/a-r-rahman/#comments Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:29:28 +0000 admin http://www.pmaurer.com/?p=201 So it’s been a late night for me. I cheered for my Sun Devils in their basketball victory this evening and returned late to watched the Oscars—DVR style. I thoroughly enjoyed Slumdog Millionaire and have made sure I watched each of the speeches from its winners. A few words by A.R. Rahman popped out at me when “Jai Ho” won the Oscar for Original Song.

Rahman said, “…the essence of the film–which is about optimism–and the power of hope in our lives..and, all my life I’ve had a choice of hate and love. I chose love and I’m here. God bless.”

I know that for me–at least in the past few weeks–hope has been a tougher word to grasp as the news has been dominated by pessimism. I think it is time that we regain a small aspect of that optimistic hope, and if times continue to get tough, we find ways to love those around us.