Phil attends the Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival: Day Two - March 6, 2019

Hello film fanatics and welcome of Day Two of my trip to the 29th Annual Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival!! After last night's opening night and party, I was super hyped to begin my cinematic journey of the festival! Today I found myself once again at the historic and majestic California Theatre in the heart of Downtown San Jose to see the dramatic and sexually charged Norwegian film AN AFFAIR (En affaere).

The movie is about Anita, a lovely women who just started her new job as the new gym and home room teacher at a local high school. She is also married to the ideal man, lives in a beautiful house, so it would seem that Anita is living the life. But then, her life takes an unexpected turn as she becomes stalked by Markus, a student of hers. After resisting his advances, she eventually gave in to her lustful desires, and the two begin an intense and erotic affair. But then the dynamics shift, and soon it is Anita who stalks Markus, unable to control her needs and emotions for the teenager. But will she risk her marriage, her career, and her life for the satisfaction of a torrid sexual affair with her student?

I found the film to be astounding; bring the teacher/student sex angle that's been all over the news in recent years here in the states. However, these events are played out differently over in Norway. While here there would be police involved, newspaper and news reporters, tabloid stories published, and sometimes the church, over there it's the opposite. For one, they don't frown about sex; hell, there's a scene where Anita is driving with Markus' mom (who she was friends with back when they were in gymnastics) and she was telling Anita how she would hear her son with his girlfriend having sex! Yeah, that's not the norm over here! Also, the outcome of the film didn't involve the police at all, just by the individuals involved.

Anita is played by the incredible actress Andrea Bræin Hovig, who gives one of the most fearless and disturbing performances I have ever seen! She goes from a timid, unsure school teacher to a sex crazed, cub stalking, twisted cougar who will stop at nothing to make Markus hers and hers alone! Hovig was really creepy and unnerving, and yet, beautiful and sexy at the same time! Kudos to this amazing actress for making me squirm in my seat during the movie! Add Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken's superb directing and Oskar Dahlsbakken gorgeous cinematography, and you've got one hell of a film!! 5 out of 5 stars!!

AN AFFAIR (En affaere) will have three more screenings: Thursday, Marsh 7th at 1:00pm and Friday, March 15th at 9:15pm at the Century 20 Redwood City and Sunday, March 17th at 7:50pm at the 3Below Theaters.

And folks, there you have Day Two of Cinequest 29! And there's still 11 more days of movie watching for me! Remember the festival ends on Sunday, March 17th so make sure you come out here to San Jose! To view the festival's film schedule and purchase tickets and passes, visit their website at www.cinequest.org.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!