The Berkeley Beacon

Issue date: 4/12/07 Section: Arts and Entertainment

A scene from Low and Behold. The movie will be shown at the Somerville Theatre April 28 and 29. For more information, go to IFFBoston.org.

Sarah Hendler's first taste of the Sundance Film Festival came through interning, which gave her the chance to work as a coordinator at the festival in 2002 and then again in 2005. It was only a matter of time before Hendler would return to Sundance to promote and feature a film she had been a crucial part of.

The 29-year-old, who graduated from Emerson in 1999 with a degree in Visual and Media Arts, was at this year's Sundance to promote the independent film Low and Behold, which she produced.

Now, the film is coming to the Independent Film Festival of Boston on April 28 and 29.
Low and Behold is about an uninspired young man, Turner Stull (Barlow Jacobs), who takes a job with his uncle as an insurance-claims adjuster in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Overwhelmed by the greedy lowborn profession, Turner falls into a deeper depression in the storm-ravaged city. He agrees to help a local man, Nixon (Eddie Rouse), find his dog in exchange for insurance advice. Turner's new friendship and journey through the city prove to be just the life-changing experiences he needs.

The film was shot on location in New Orleans eight months after the storm hit, but the city remained in a devastated condition. "It is remarkable and sad to know you can still bring a camera to New Orleans now and film the same footage," Hendler said.

Along with the film's success have come comparisons. At Sundance this past January, members of the press were constantly evaluating and linking Low and Behold to Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. When asked about the two films being perceived as synonymous, Hendler was adamant about making a distinction and crediting each work properly.

"I think it's unfair of the press to compare or refer our film to Spike Lee's," she said in a phone interview with The Beacon. "Our film is a fictional, independent, 89-minute documented story of New Orleans, not a four-hour HBO documentary."

In addition to Sundance and Boston, the project has been officially selected for four other film festivals such as the Crossroads Film Festival in Jackson, Miss. and the Newport Beach Film Festival.

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