Saturday Morning

I saw this film at what was billed as the First Buffalo (New York) International Film Festival, held at Canisius College in 1971. It likely hasn't been shown anywhere in decades. The filmmaker, who'd really be the only one to champion this film, died in 1980.

This was a short documentary about what they used to call an "encounter weekend." It showed a small group of young people sitting around somewhere in the woods and discussing their problems and shortcomings. I remember a guy crying toward the end, the result of some sort of breakthrough. At no point was I or anyone else in the festival audience moved to care about any of the participants in the film.

There's really no reason to revisit this poor little orphaned film. It is a creature of its time, and it should stay there.