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Sight shines in sensational premiere
By Clarke Reader
creader3@mscd.edu

Photo by Jenn LeBlanc • jkerriga@mscd.edu The cast of The Sensation of Sight, from left, David Strathairn, Ian Somerhalder, Joseph Mazzello, Aaron J. Wiederspahn, Elisabeth Waterston, Scott Wilson and Ann Cusack, at the question-and-answer session after the showing of the movie Nov. 10 at the Starz FilmCenter.

Aaron J. Wiederspahn had a recurring dream about a man selling encyclopedias. With this strange image in his head, he started writing.

The result was The Sensation of Sight, Wiederspahn’s first film, which recently had its North American premiere at the 29th Starz Denver Film Festival.

The movie has been nominated for the Emerging Film Award, which goes to first-time filmmakers.

“I grew up in Wyoming, so having a screening in Denver means a lot,” Wiederspahn told the audience before the Nov. 10 screening.

He thanked the audience for coming and noted, “I never take for granted that we could all be doing something else.”

The Sensation of Sight is a dark, haunting film that delves into the pathos of grief and redemption. Fortunately, there are some funny moments, so the movie isn’t entirely depressing. The acting by everyone involved is superb, and the writing is true to life.

David Strathairn stars as Finn, a former English teacher in New England whose life crumbles because of a student tragedy he feels he should have been able to prevent. To search for meaning, he leaves his wife (Ann Cusack) and son to live in a bed-and-breakfast and sell encyclopedias out of a wheelbarrow.

He meets many people whose own lives have been touched by tragedy. A man only known as the Drifter (Ian Somerhalder) has shut himself off from the world after the death of his brother, whose ghost (Joseph Mazzello) still follows him around.

Tucker (Scott Wilson) is touched by an unspeakable grief that infects his relationship with his optimistic daughter, Daisy (Elisabeth Waterston).

Finally, there’s Dylan (Daniel Gillies), who has just arrived in town hoping to reunite with his girlfriend Alice (Jane Adams) and his daughter, and also to patch things up with Tucker.

Photo by Jenn LeBlanc • jkerriga@mscd.edu The Sensation of Sight director Aaron J. Wiederspahn speaks Nov. 10 during the question-and-answer session after the showing his movie.

Dreamlike flashbacks of Finn’s life and probing philosophical quotes from famous thinkers are spliced with the lives of these characters and the connections they make to each other.

The movie sounds like it is depressing, but while it is definitely sad, there is an underlying theme of hope. It is never sappy and is extremely realistic, and holds an ending that fits the story perfectly.

After the movie, Wiederspahn, along with some of the actors, discussed the film with the audience.

He said the film was shot in 18 days in New Hampshire, and that the entire cast stayed together in the bed and breakfast that was the setting for much of the film.

He talked about the difficulty of independent filmmaking, saying, “You literally have X amount of days and X amount of dollars, then it’s done.”

When asked if the movie turned out the way he originally envisioned it, Wiederspahn said, “You make three films: the one you write, the one you direct and the one people see.”

He laughed about the casting process, saying, “When it’s your first movie, you just hope somebody comes forward.”

The actors discussed the movie’s collaborative nature and the depth of Wiederspahn’s fictional universe.

“Aaron provided for us a world that was very tangible. It was easy to step into that,” Strathairn said.