USA, 2006

Director: Richard Wong

At last night's world premiere of Colma: The Musical at the San Francisco International Asian-American Film Festival, director Richard Wong and writer/composer H.P. Mendoza started reclaiming the joy of movies even before their infectious tribute to a fog-laden suburb began. They blew up balloons on the stage and tossed them into the audience in the sold-out main house of the Kabuki theater, creating a party atmosphere that prepared the crowd for what was coming. Made on a shoestring budget in a city best known for cemeteries and Fifties tract homes, Colma: The Musical takes back the screen from the lumbering blockbusters and mopey independents that too often seem to define our range of options as moviegoers. It's that rare thing, an intensely likeable film. Much of the credit goes to Mendoza's brilliant score, which is rooted in power pop and ventures gracefully into musical theater when needed. The story follows three friends from local Westmoor High School through the summer after graduation as they navigate life choices and relationships. Their blunders and in-between awkwardness ring as true as those in the post-high-school masterpiece Ghost World, but here the characters have Mendoza's clever lyrics to give voice to their feelings. And though there are dramas here, and believable ones, a charming, cheeky humor dominates the tone. That tone easily earns forgiveness for the movie's few faults, which include a script-y monologue here and there and occasional lapses in the generally excellent acting. Wong, Mendoza and company are your hosts for the party of the year, the kind where truths come out and friendships change but everyone ends up having a good time. It's time to raise a glass to music and the movies again.