Mockumentary Achieves Goal

by Julie E. Washington

So far, we've watched tons of sincere documentaries and grim dramas in the Cleveland International Film Festival. We could really use a laugh.

"Filmic Achievement" has plenty to spare.

The mockumentary is set inside a film school, but anyone can appreciate the people and attitudes.

We meet Buck Felty, dean of the "prestigious" UNY film school, and the first-year students vying for the year-end Filmic Achievement Award.

The students - all certain of their own brilliance - include an angry feminist, a Quentin Tarantino clone ("And then, there's an explosion!"), a foreign-film snob and a woman inspired by her Beanie Baby collection.

The instructors are equally hilarious, especially the Russian instructor who advocates the "primordial urge" method of acting.

The characters are broadly drawn, but also so realistic that we cringe at their struggles and feel for the ones who fall short.

"Filmic Achievement" is snarky and sarcastic but always has an underlying affection for its subject. That combination makes "Filmic Achievement" a towering achievement in laughter.