Mackenzie

Preceded by “Gatorville”

ERIC SAYS For all the films about childhood, few capture its internal head-space like this one. Remember the crushes, the private games, the endless amounts of free time, the fanciful rituals, the roaming, the imaginary worlds, the boredom and doldrums, the outrage at the decisions and demands of your parental figures, the desire to run away and jump-start your adult life? It’s all encapsulated in Mylissa Fitzsimmons’ lovely little wonder of a film, Mackenzie, ready for you to tap back in. Gorgeously shot in the deserts of Utah over eight days with a two-person crew and a non-professional lead, it’s a real triumph of microbudgeted production. And if you’re intrigued by a film that summons comparisons to both Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas and The Zellner Brothers’ Kid-Thing—run, don’t walk!

Oh, and lest there be any doubt: the title is indeed a reference to sometime-Baltimorean Mackenzie Astin of The Facts of Life, with whom our protagonist here is more than a little smitten. It’s only fitting that this beautiful and thoughtful journey of a film holds its U.S. premiere on a screen where its namesake has undoubtedly taken in many a film over the years.