Do objects retain a spark of life from their owner after that person dies? This question catapults a dynamic brother-sister filmmaking duo on an epic odyssey to excavate their deceased grandma Annette’s unassuming Newark home of 71 years. Toothbrushes, tax documents, three vacuum cleaners—her motley collection of stuff becomes a universe unto itself, springing to life in the cinematic playground of this innovative documentary. In the siblings’ inventive hands, the white clapboard house transforms into a magical-realist landscape replete with animated 1950s dresses and mysterious visits from physicists and fashion conservators. Inspired by archaeologists and archivists, they catalog decades of forgotten miscellany and beloved tchotchkes, creating exquisite pastiches while searching for meaning in the patterns. Who was Grandma Annette? Colorful interviews with the octogenarian in her crowded kitchen provide precious clues. And when they discover a 1972 cassette tape and use actors to lip-synch intimate family conversations, it’s like a new dimension cracks open from the netherworld. In 306 Hollywood, fragments of a modest life mingle mystically—creating a profound meditation on memory bursting at the seams with love. (Sundance Film Festival)
