I may be late to sling praise on these two strong films, but this weekend I saw both Darren Grodsky’s and Danny Jacobs’ HUMBOLDT COUNTY and Danny Boyle’s SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. And as neither film has left my consciousness in the ensuing days, I felt that warranted some sort of written review. Perhaps for no other reason than me being able to move on with my life. SLUMDOG doesn’t, or shouldn’t need my praise for anyone to seek it out — everyone is talking about this film. But maybe some folks haven’t heard of the assured indie HUMBOLDT COUNTY (coming to DVD January 13th), and might just let it pass by in the bloated jockey of Oscar contenders fighting for our hearts this winter. In the short, see them both.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE starts at a breakneck pace and doesn’t let up, but Danny Boyle deftly handles the convoluted plot (an 18-year-old orphan of the Mumbai slums cleans up on the Indian ‘Who Wants to Be A Millionaire’, but must prove he played fairly by telling a doubtful cop stories from the tumultuous life that led to knowing the answers, while also saving the girl he loves) without leaving you with the too-familiar feeling of annoyingly hyper-stylized modern fare. Visually impressive, precisely cut and scored, yet the true joy of this film is it’s heart — the relationship of two brothers with no one to count on but each other. The structure of the narrative (game show question followed by riveting flashback that explains how he knew the answer) feels well constructed without being too clunky, and the acting, especially by the young children, was genuine and riveting. A truly great film that will live on in hearts and minds long after films with ten times the budget.

Also should be noted that I went with someone who would not have seen SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE otherwise — he did not know what he was going to see, and would probably have rather been at THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL — and he absolutely loved it. So in these challenging times, spend your theatrical dollars on smaller, quality films, and don’t reward Hollywood laziness!! Okay, end of rant.

HUMBOLDT COUNTY is a much smaller film directed by two childhood buddies/first time feature filmmakers, starring a pitch perfect cast from stage and screen. The film follows a disillusioned medical student (the almost impossibly buttoned up Jeremy Strong), who is poised to miss out on a plum residency because his UCLA professor father fails him in his final course. A one night stand turns into a summer stranded with an alternative family of pot farmers in Northern California, leading to an eye-opening experience that changes the young student forever. Powerhouse performances abound from the impeccable cast of character actors (Brad Dourif, Frances Conroy, Fairuza Balk, Chris Messina, and Peter Bogdanovich), emotions run high, and the film mostly avoids drug humor cliches while reveling in the fallout of father/son relationship traumas. Also of note is the beautiful cinematography by lenser Ernest Holzman. All in all, HUMBOLDT COUNTY is a surprisingly resonant film that moves far beyond the subject matter and deep into the human condition — and how our hopes, dreams, beliefs and relationships get irrevocably altered by the passing of time and the failures we inevitably encounter.