Nicotine, Mercury, and Matters of the Heart
I started the film fest off with "Pablo's Winter" by Director Chico Pereira. Done in black and white, it was a very subtle film that focused on Pablo, a former coal miner who now has lung issues. The director's use of quiet scenes and still moments made me feel like I was alongside Pablo throughout his day to day. He was slowing down, in the winter of his life and yet he wasn't concerned about that. At first glance, the close up shots of him smoking and eating with his wife could make him seem cold and disconnected, but when you see him dancing with her and the quiet familiarity they have with each other, you realize that they've accepted their life together and that they are comfortable where they are. Had this movie been in color, the feeling I got of the town and the people would have been missed.