While You’re In: Explore the shoreline, dive deep and sample local films
‘Tide’ is back in: Harlequin Productions’ “The Highest Tide,” interrupted in March by the coronavirus, returns Sunday as part of the theater company’s online radio theater series (https://harlequinproductions.org/radio/). “Tide,” an adaptation of the novel by Olympia’s own Jim Lynch, is a coming-of-age tale about a boy with a profound connection to the waters of the Puget Sound. The book has been enduringly popular; last year, Portland’s Powell’s Books included it on a list of “25 Books to Read Before You Die: Pacific Northwest Edition” (http://powells.com/post/lists/25-books-to-read-before-you-die-pacific-northwest-edition), a list that looks well worth exploring while you’re in. (Also among the titles are Beverly Cleary’s classic “Beezus and Ramona” and Katherine Dunn’s super-quirky “Geek Love.”) The audio version of “Tide” premieres at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, with performances continuing Tuesday, Sept. 22-Saturday, Sept. 26. It’s free, but reservations (https://harlequinproductions.org/product/the-highest-tide/) are limited to the size of the company’s State Theater.
Undersea sensation: If “Tide” whets your appetite for exploring the world beneath the water, you’re in luck. Netflix’s (http://netflix.com) new documentary “My Octopus Teacher” offers an opportunity to get to know a cephalopod so fascinating that filmmaker Craig Foster spent a year filming her as she camouflaged herself with rocks and shells, outwitted sharks and walked on two legs. He wound up not just learning from the creature but falling in love with her. The film has made a huge splash (sorry, the Olympian couldn’t resist) with critics and viewers alike. “It’s a fascinating, beautifully scored — and at times deeply moving — account,” Ted Thornhill wrote in London’s Daily Mail (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/escape/article-8731945/Meet-Craig-Foster-human-star-amazing-new-Netflix-film-Octopus-Teacher.html).
Local Sightings: The Northwest Film Forum’s annual Local Sightings Film Festival, starting Friday, Sept. 18, is more local than ever for those in South Sound. That’s because (you guessed it) it’s online (https://nwfilmforum.org/festivals/local-sightings-film-festival-pacific-nw/). (Maybe it would be quicker and easier just to mention when something isn’t online.) The festival, which celebrates Pacific Northwest film, features four short works by Olympia filmmakers. And — cool tie-in to the other items in this column — one of them, Kelly Ramirez’s papercut-animated “Finned” is about sharks. The other local entries are Miette Deschenes’ “Between Moments,” about the way time distorts memories from adolescence; Emme Williamson’s “I Think It’s Wednesday,” about the passage of time during quarantine; and Sally Cloninger’s “Serendip,” which combines old video, Polaroids, found footage and animation to explore why humans can’t seem to get along. This year, the festival is offered on a sliding scale, and most of the films can be watched anytime during the run of the festival, which wraps up Sept. 27.
Freelance writer Molly Gilmore just had to play Blondie’s “Tide Is High” (https://youtu.be/ypWXEnK_0T8) while writing this column — and she started dancing to it. She discusses local arts, entertainment and more with 95.3 KGY-FM’s Michael Stein from 3 to 4 p.m. Fridays.
This story was originally published September 18, 2020 at 5:45 AM.