Last night a movie changed my life. "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" was the showcase film at the Phoenix Film Festival's Saturday night event. The film is a knockout, one of those rare films that captures the spirit of life with verve and candor. The film follows a teenage outcast who tries to remain invisible at high school, making hilarious low-brow versions of world cinema classics with his friend Earl. Then his mom forces him to hang out with a girl from his neighborhood who is dying of leukemia. Here is where most of my readers might check out but this film is not the sappy story you might think it is from that setup. The film nimbley avoids the trappings of films like this and instead captures a portrait of a life-changing friendship. The film is hilarious, ballsy and heartfelt and is one of the year's absolute best.
Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon attended the screening and was kind enough to give a few minutes of his time. Rejon comes from a horror background having made the wonderful reinvisioned The Town That Dreaded Sundown and most of the Coven season of American Horror Story. In the Q&A after the film, he stressed that this was the first personal film he made. After his father passed away, he felt "the need to find a more personal story to tell." That is when this script fell into his hands. The casting process was "essential, as the two leads couldn't have a sexual nature to their relationship."
He also talked about bringing the film to the Phoenix Film Festival, the first film festival to screen the film after it's explosive success at Sundance where it won both the Grand Jury award and the Audience award. "This is very exciting to me to be screening the film again here at the festival." He also talked about getting nervous while being in attendance. "From the first frame to the last I am always nervous, hoping the audience reacts positively to the film." I don't think Rejon had anything to worry about as the audience last night at the Phoenix Film Festival adored the film, many calling it simply "fucking awesome." Given how truly great the film is and how sincere its director was, last night was one of the best events in the history of the festival.
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