Denver Film Festival Must-See Pick for November 4: One of These Days

Again this year, Denver Film Festival artistic director Matt Campbell is offering his must-see picks for each day of the event, which is largely virtual and continues through November 8. Keep reading to get his take on the selection for November 4: One of These Days.

One of These Days
Directed by Bastian Günther
Limited screening: Accessible until 11:45 p.m. November 8

One of These Days "looks at Americana through an outsider's perspective," Campbell says.

The film was directed by Bastian Günther, who splits his time between Texas and Germany, and he brings his knowledge of the former to what Campbell describes as "a true story about a small Texas town that has an annual competition put on by a local car dealership. It's called the 'hands-on contest,' and people call into a local radio station to be entered into the competition. If they're picked, they enter this group of fifteen or twenty people who stand around with their hands on a pickup truck, and the last person standing with their hands still on the truck wins it. But the contest goes on for days on end in the blistering Texas heat, and it devolves into a really intense situation."

Campbell stresses, "I don't want to give too much away. But as the hours tick by, all of the contestants' humanity is laid bare. Their interactions start off more as comedy, but then it drifts into much more of an intense dramatic thriller, and some of the twists are quite shocking."

Click for ticket information and more details about the 43rd Denver Film Festival, including how to access selections online.