|
Rules of the Road tells the story of a love affair and its
demise through one of the objects shared by the couple:
an old beige station wagon with fake wood paneling.
A typical American family car for an atypical American
family, it provides the women at first with all the familiar
comforts. But when their relationship ends, the car
becomes the property of one and the bane of the other's
existence. Even long after their separation, this
tangible reminder of their life together—and
thousands of its imitators—continues to prowl the
streets of the city, haunting the woman who no longer holds the keys either to the car or the other
woman's heart.
Through spoken text, popular music and images
from the streets of New York, Rules of the Road takes
a somewhat whimsical, somewhat caustic look at how
our dreams of freedom, pleasure, security, and family
are so often symbolized by the automobile.
"... the light, almost whimsical tone of the film should
not blind us to the part of it that is irreducibly personal.
Station wagons are everywhere; everybody's got a sad
love story. But only one filmmaker, to my knowledge, has
Su Friedrich's eye....With Rules of the Road, she creates
a film like a perfect short story."
—Stuart Klawans, THE NATION
Selected Film Festival Screenings and Awards:
KINO AWARD, SPECIAL COMMENDATION, Melbourne International Film Festival
CERTIFICATE OF MERIT,Cork International Film Festival
DIRECTOR'S CHOICE AWARD,Black Maria Film Festival
HONORABLE MENTION,Queer Film Festival, Oregon
New Directors/New Films, New York; Festival of World Cinema, Philadelphia; Automobility Film Festival, Zurich; Jerusalem Film Festival; Image/Nation Festival, Montreal; Cinemarosa Queer Film Series, Queens Museum, NY
|
