Last year we interviewed neighbor Gary Cogill, who left his 24-year career as a film critic at WFAA-TV to start producing films with Lascaux Films.
At the time, we chatted about his first film, “Words and Pictures,” which is now playing at the Magnolia.
He described the film as being about a charismatic English teacher and a stoic art instructor battling a crippling case of arthritis. The pair rival over which is more important — words or pictures — but in the end (spoiler alert) determine both are equally important. And, of course, fall hopelessly in love.
Actually, Cogill’s description went more like this: “Here’s how this goes: An English actor, a French actress, an Australian director. We’re making a film that takes place on the east coast of Maine that we shot on the west coast of Canada, filmed by 19 people from Dallas, Texas. That’s just crazy enough to work.”
The Angelika hosted a preview screening a couple weeks ago, and Gary Cogill introduced the film to a theater packed with guests.
Here’s what you should know about the film: You should see it.
Seriously, though. Lascaux snagged international actor Clive Owen to play the English teacher and Oscar-winning Juliette Binoche as the artist, and they are brilliant together.
The film is technically a romantic comedy, but I think it’s best described as “bittersweet” because it delves into deep enough topics to make you cry (and you will cry), yet the humor keeps the film light enough to make you laugh as well. However, if you’re looking for a lighthearted flick, watch something else because Words and Pictures has that true-to-life honesty that indie films are known for.
Finally, I don’t know if the film had this effect on anyone else, but I left the theater with the urge to create something — a story, a painting, a song, anything really. The ongoing debate throughout the film about words or pictures was actually surprisingly inspirational. But maybe that was just me.
