What can one really say about Cucalorus that hasn’t already been said? As a film festival it is one of the most entertaining in the country, ask anyone who has been there. It’s an invaluable part of the Wilmington film community, a stage of exposure that puts us on the map in a huge way. As an experience, it is one of the few opportunities in the entire year where you and your friends can view some of the best independent movies and engage in film in ways you simply cannot most of the year. Wilmington, despite its film industry is still one dominated by multiplex cinemas, firmly dominated by the heavy hand of Hollywood filmmakers. But Cucalorus is that one weekend where perhaps that all changes. For me personally, it’s one of the best weekends of the year. I love being able to go downtown with my friends and just experience all different kinds of film. It’s fantastic. Last year in particular really opened my eyes to just how fun the festival was. Stupidly I forfeited my chance to go to Cucalorus my first year in Wilmington. Last year changed that, and in a big way. This is an experience that I cannot just skip out on. Fast forward to this year; due to my job being terrible my time at Cucalorus was much more limited than last year. Still I did manage to spend some time (sneaking onto the boat for the chicken and waffles) and getting in to see Happy Valley. Since the film our group is working on involves the idea of legacy, this seemed like a no brainer for me to see. Joe Paterno built a legacy he well deserved through his multiple decades at the head of Penn State’s football program. However, it’s interesting to see how a legacy can be tarnished, even if you are not a person directly involved in a scandal. Paterno’s legacy has been forever altered by this, and now even when people remember him, it will be with an asterisk. Seeing this film and having it explaining in such a way drove home the point even more that we should all strive to live and leave a positive legacy for those around us, and our communities as a whole. All in all I would’ve loved to spend more time at the festival this past weekend but unfortunately I could not. Cucalorus does great things for Wilmington, and even after I move away, I will return for this special weekend in which everyone stops and appreciates all the tiny things that we love about film.
