Pearblossom Hwy, director Mike Ott’s follow-up to Littlerock, is billed as a movie that champions downtrodden, aimless youth trying to survive in suburban desert communities north of Los Angeles. The film raises many important issues, from the abuse of nitrous oxide to the sorrow of not knowing one’s father to the tragedy of prostitution as a last-ditch employment option for immigrants who are awaiting citizenship exams and the right to work in the U.S. without restrictions. While actors Atsuko Okatsuka (Atsuko) and Cory Zacharia (Cory) turn in strong performances, the film leaves too many serious questions unanswered.

As we watch Pearblossom Hwy, we are either immediately drawn to or repulsed by Cory. A jobless young man who dreams of making it big with his punk band, Cory is the epitome of an aimless drifter. In the beginning of the film he says that he always wanted to be “a rebel without a cause,” but we have to confront the fact that he can never attain this romantic vision of self. This is actually one of the more problematic aspects of the movie precisely because we sense that Ott wants us to empathize with Cory, but we have a hard time doing so because he just isn’t all that likable. He has no interest in taking responsibility for himself as a human being, so why should we be interested?

The 13th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is underway, having begun on April 30th with the film Dekh Tamasha Dekh by director Feroz Abbas Khan. To celebrate the opening night, the NYIFF organizers invited Indian filmmakers, actors and more to partake in the red carpet and gala dinner following the film screening. PopMatters has the schedule of screenings below some red carpet photos. To see the slate and to purchase tickets for any of the remaining NYIFF movies, please visit their website.

Atiq Rahimi’s second film, The Passion Stone, explores the meetings and divergences of duty and love in an almost folkloric fashion. The director was present for the first showing of the film at the San Francisco Film Festival on Monday. The film is based on the book of the same name, which Rahimi also wrote. Before the screening, he talked a bit about the syngué sabour (patience stone) that lies at the heart of the film. According to Persian myth, this mystical stone sometimes appears to individuals who are burdened. They tell their worries to the stone, unburdening their hearts in full. One day, the stone simply shatters. As it falls out of existence, so do the burdens and worries of the individual who has confided in the stone.

As soon as he learned that no one was injured and that the vehicles involved suffered no major damage, Klein called to let me know that he’d be late, but that he was definitely on his way. A minor fender-bender wasn’t going to stop Klein from talking about the festival that he has a big hand in organizing.

Only in its sixth year of existence, the festival is one of the best-kept secrets of the small festival circuit – a secret that Klein and his fellow organizers hope goes public. With the lineup that the festival features this year, that shouldn’t be much of a problem. From nationally touring outfits like alt-rockers Deer Tick and populist singer-songwriter Joe Pug to Athens-local fare like the Corduroy Road and the Darnell Boys, this year’s festival features some of the best acts associated with Americana from all over the United States. For a mere $50, festival-goers can purchase wristbands that allow them to attend several shows at participating venues from April 25 to April 28 in the Classic City. Tickets to individual shows associated with the festival can also be purchased through the venues hosting the performances.

Two descriptive terms that come to mind when considering Laura Mvula’s music would be majestic or regal. On stage, Mvula carried herself gracefully, despite any nervousness she confessed to feeling when performing in front of press and music industry professionals for the first time in New York at an intimate venue. As she noted, she knew “who is in the room”. But the Columbia Record execs wanted to celebrate her forthcoming (in the US on May 14) album Sing to the Moon and to continue build the domestic buzz she’s had going since her SXSW dates. They also took the opportunity to celebrate her birthday too, presenting her with a cake after the band sang “Happy Birthday”.

Mvula was giving in return, performing about ten songs for the crowd with a live band behind her. From the moment “Let Me Fall” began, the audience was transfixed on Mvula so self-possessed she was . The truest beauty came a couple of songs in with the title track “Sing to the Moon”. The light instrumentation made it seem almost like a Sufjan Stevens song but formidable percussion gave it the heft and lofted the song to majestic heights. The simple lyrics “Sing to the moon / and the stars will shine” were imbued with such rich energy that you don’t doubt that Mvula sings the truth. “Green Garden” drew the audience to join in with its hand-claps, and seemed to recall Nina Simone’s “Sinnerman” in a small way, but was fully formed and mature enough to stand on its own. For her final song, Mvula covered Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” drawing some huge applause. At one point, she welcomed the audience to “sing along” with the warning to not “show me up”. But its doubtful anyone in the room could show up such a pristine and lovely voice.