The Montclair Times from Montclair, New Jersey • D2

A cinema disobedient no IMAGE COURTESY OF ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS Logan Lerman, left, and Sarah Gadon, right, in PHOTO COURTESY OF NEIL GRABOWSKYTHE MONTCLAIR FILM FESTIVAL Emma Freud, left, and Richard Curtis tell the audience secrets about 'Love screening in the background, at the Wellmont Theater, this past Saturday, April 30. MFF pays tribute to Richard Curtis BY NICHOLAS KATZBAN STAFF WRITER With the plot of a working-class Jewish male from Newark who leaves for college only to fight authority at every turn, and experience the simultaneous repulsion from and attraction to a female love-interest, "Indignation" hardly needs to advertise itself as an adaptation of a Philip Roth novel. It's nearly stamped on every frame. In 1951, during the Korean War, Marcus Messner, (Logan Lerman) alliteration unintended receives a college scholarship from his temple, and ships off to the bucolic landscape of Winesburg College as much to escape his overbearing father as to dodge the draft. Marcus finds difficulty ingratiating himself into the rank and file academic life, pushing back against chapel requirements set forth by the school's Dean Caud-well (Tracy Letts) and harboring resentment toward the easy sociability of his two roommates.

However, a late-night at the library leads to a run-in with Olivia Hutton (Sarah Gadon,) whose goy-ish beauty and smarts beguile the young iconoclast. Counting an equal number of detractors as devotees, Roth holds a divisive place in American literary culture. With charges of misogyny haunting his career since the publication of "Port-noy's Complaint," the problematic interplay between Marcus and Olivia offers little to quell such fires. Does Marcus use the shame of a woman to save face once confronted with his own inadequacy? Ben Rosenfield, who played Bertram Flusser, Marcus' bohemian roommate, thinks it's a possibility, if only for the protagonist's age. "It's definitely a first love for Marcus, and a first love is a really complicated one," said Rosen-field, who grew up in Montclair.

"I don't see Marcus as manipulative, I see him as being young, and ambitious. When you're young, in particular, it's normal for the world to be very much about you, and your circumstances. That comes across. There's a certain level of narcissism there, for sure." Rosenfield was particularly positive about his work with writerdirector James Schamus, a veteran of the film industry, whose credits include penning the screenplay for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and former CEO of Focus Features. This was Schamus' first time seated in the director's chair for a feature film.

"It was incredible working with James, because it did not feel like his first feature at all," Rosenfield noted. "I've been lucky enough to work with some directors who've been doing this for close to 50 years, and James' experiences in the film community have certainly prepared him for the job. He seemed like someone who has been doing it for his whole career. organization's fourth location at their New Jersey farm. Farm Sanctuary operates three shelters in New York and California that provide lifelong care for nearly 1,000 rescued farm animals, works to change laws to JON 'Indignation' Saturday, May 7, 4:30 p.m.

The Wellmont Theater, 5 Seymour St. Featured: Post-screening with director James Schamus "It's the enthusiasm. You could feel that, and that kind of energy is unique with younger filmmakers. James certainly had that spark and passion that comes with starting out on something new." Rosenfield said that he read Roth's "The Plot Against America" when he was in high school. "I liked it a lot.

His writing is beautiful, and unique, and particularly cool if you're from New Jersey," he observed. Although, Rosenfield was quick to point out that the book was not assigned reading from any of his teachers. He clarified, "It was just lying around my house. I did not find it in the Montclair High School library." Email: katzbannorthjersey.com 'Unlocking The Cage' "Unlocking the Cage" follows animal rights lawyer Steven Wise in his attempt to break down the legal wall that separates animals from humans by filing the first lawsuits seeking to transform a chimpanzee from a thing with no rights to a "person" with legal protections. sweaters in the movie, and when one appeared on screen, Freud would point it out.

When Laura Linney's character Sarah does a happy dance after being kissed, Curtis said, "That's what I felt like when I was asked to come to the Montclair Film Festival." Curtis said, "All my films are written to music because as you know they're quite shallow." He praised Craig Armstrong, who did the film's music, without which, he said, "it would be half the film that it is." Curtis' byplay with Freud continued at "In Conversation" when Colbert asked Curtis if he was a knight or had any titles. "I'm a Companion of the British Empire," he said. "Dick! You're not!" Freud called from the audience. "Not a Companion, but a Commander of the British Empire," he amended. In addition to talking about his career, Curtis talked about Red Nose Day, which will take place on May 26 this year, to Colbert.

The fundraiser raises money for the poor through comedy. "Maybe because I was raised in the Philippines I was always aware of rich and poor," he mused. Curtis also talked about Black-adder, and his inspirations. "I don't think I would have made movies without Woody Allen," he said. His 2013 film "About Time" is "a long way round to saying happiness is living in the moment." Email: orelnorthjersey.com BY GWEN OREL STAFF WRITER The Montclair Film Festival saluted British director Richard Curtis this year, in its inaugural Filmmaker's Tribute.

Curtis, who has lived in New York City for the past nine months, appeared at a screening of "Love Actually" with live commentary from himself and his longtime partner Emma Freud this past Saturday, April 30. Later the same day he appeared "In Conversation" with Stephen Colbert at Montclair Kimberley Academy. Curtis' films "The Girl in the Cafe" and "About Time" are part of MFF. Both of Curtis' live appearances were sold-out events. During the screening of "Love Actually," Freud, the script editor, was there partly to stop Curtis' commentary from devolving to, "Oh look, there's Liam.

Oh look, there's Bill." For the airport sequence at the opening, in which real people greet their arriving loved ones, she said, "We gave each segment names." During a scene in which the prime minister, played by Hugh Grant, greets the public, Freud said, "This is my mum! This is my mum!" Often the two pointed out jokes and references that were well-known in Britain but not in the U.S. The actress who plays Martine McCutcheon, for example, is a popular soap opera star in Britain. Curtis noted that there were many turtleneck jumpers Jon and Tracey Stewart to be special guests at Jon and Tracey Stewart will appear with directors D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus at the screening of "Unlocking the Cage" at the Montclair Film Festival on Saturday, May 7, at 2:30 p.m., at the Bellevue Theater. The Stewarts are partnering with Farm Sanctuary (farmsanctuary.org), America's leading farm animal protection organization, to open the STEWART decrease abuse of farm animals, and promotes compas sionate vegan living..