On the Waterfront

"Film festival programmers are like curators in a museum," he said, which may explain why Waterfront took a leap forward. Yes, it's fun. The laid-back atmosphere is a draw, certainly. But after 11 years, its "curators" have become exceptionally good at choosing and presenting high-quality works of art. It's increasingly rare that you'll walk away from a film uttering a "D'oh!"

"People found the film very powerful and were moved by her passion for it," DePree said. "Of course, having someone of her caliber come to the fest is fantastic." The descriptions may seem wildly disparate, but "Nick" and "Fatty" both capture a similar aspect of childhood yearnings. After "Nick" screened, filmmaker David Lowery complimented Waterfront organizers for the inspired pairing. Clever, bittersweet romance "Peter and Vandy," starring Jason Ritter, who attended the festival.

I stepped into film venues five times and had five wildly different, enriching experiences. I wrapped up the festival with "St. Nick," a nearly dialogue-free story about a brother and sister, ages 11 and 9, on their own, trying to survive by squatting in an abandoned house in Texas. It was wonderfully suggestive and ambiguous, and perfectly complemented the preceding short "Dear Fatty," about a pet hamster's adventure. Sweet, whip-smart dramatic comedy "The Answer Man," featuring typically strong performances by Lauren Graham and Michigan man Jeff Daniels, of Chelsea.