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San Diego Film Festival consisted of the premiere of Leland Orser’s feature film directorial debut entitled Morning, a Q and A with Leland and company after the film and a glamorous rooftop after party at the Se hotel.  The 9th annual San Diego Film Festival kicked off to a successful start at the Gaslamp Theater in Downtown San Diego. A variety of filmmakers, actors, writers, producers, directors and fans came to mingle, and share their mutual love for the art of cinema. Robin Laatz, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the San Diego Film Festival, was also present in the midst of all the excitement. The red carpet led the way into the Gaslamp Theater lobby, where many got the opportunity to catch a glimpse of Leland Orser, whose past work consists of parts in Seven, Saving Private Ryan and the Bone collector.

Mini-Review of Morning:

At the San Diego Film Festival  Leland, as a director, takes a minimalist approach to directing this film and it looks and feels like no other director’s style.  The film explores the alienated, agonizing journey to the acceptance of death. Leland Orser throws the audience in a consuming darkness that none of us ever want to drown in, with his tragic film, Morning, about the immediate four days after a couple loses their child. As the film rolls along, the couple, as well as the audience, learns to tread in these dark waters.

Mark Munroe, Leland, and Alice Munroe, the exceptional Jeanne Tripplehorn, tear away in separate paths to drag themselves through that necessary journey alone.  Leland has very few lines of dialogue as Mark, trapping himself within his house, letting the boy inside the man grieve. His actions and mannerisms are more powerful, and cut deeper, than any dialogue would have done. Alice Munroe unsuccessfully interacts with the world, attempting to stay at her friend’s house that has experienced loss in the past, but Alice feels that she does not fit anywhere. It’s as if she is the only one of her kind, and in a way she is for temporary moments. The world contradicts the unique pain they both feel, as Leland shows us that the world never stops, making the journey of these characters a heroic feat to accomplish.

On top of Leland Orser and Jeanne Tripplehorn, the rest of the cast, which includes Laura Linney, Elliott Gould, Jason Ritter and Kyle Chandler, all give wonderful performances. The editing and cinematography, such as the notable incorporation of the blurred flashbacks to happier times with the couple and their child, both deepen the wound of the tragedy. Leland Orser has entered a fine film into the world of cinema with Morning, showing the extraordinary human capability to endure.

After the film, Leland and company did a Q & A session, answering a number of interesting questions.  The crowd responded to the film with a round of applause and Leland, sharply dressed, took center stage and light-heartedly apologized for making the audience watch a film with such a tragic story. Leland discussed how the film started out as a short and expanded into a feature film that’s a little over an hour and a half.  The director also discussed a few humorous stories during production, like how Kyle Chandler jokingly kissed him first before he had to do a scene that required aggressively kissing Leland’s wife, Jeanne Tripplehorn. He also went into how he prepared for this film, character-wise, by distancing himself from his family as much as possible so the two lives wouldn’t collide in any way.

There are many great films in store for tomorrow and the weekend, such as Nowhere Boy, Welcome to the Rileys and the inspirational documentary, My Run.  Get passes, tickets and more information at the San Diego Film Festival website. The San Diego Film Festival continues today with films such as The Rock ‘n’ Roll Dreams of Duncan Christopher, and A Little Help, starring Jenna Fischer and Chris O’Donnell.

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