Seattle Press on Line - <i>Joyful Partaking</i> A Filmed-in-Ballard Local Treasure

Joyful Partaking A Filmed-in-Ballard Local Treasure

By Sara Longley

Vivian Vanderveeck (Jane Jones) gets romantic advice from Madame Olga (Kathryn Mesney) in Joyful Partaking.

Jan 03, 2002 -- In Ballard, residents are accustomed to seeing bumper stickers that say, "Visualize Ballard." I have always interpreted this as a play on "Visualize World Peace," considering that Ballard is, by and large, a community of relatively well-off, contented people. Interesting, then, that William Moreing's shot-in-Ballard first feature, Joyful Partaking, deals with the stories of people who are all, in their own way, unconsciously striving to achieve their own inner peace.

The film was shot in August and early September of 2000 on NW 70th Street. If you want to know which block it was filmed on, find the movie and watch it. It's well worth your time. The all-star cast of local stage actors acquit themselves terrifically, even if a few lines come off a little, well, stagey. No Ballard folks appear in the film, but a local crow makes an appearance in a key role.

Joyful Partaking is a tale of redemption and growing up--actually, it is several such tales. Over the course of a day, the stories of the people in a cozy residential neighborhood come to a crossroads, where they must reach a deeper understand of themselves. Walter Majeski (John Procaccino), a suicidal former weatherman, must finally come to terms with his son's death. Marian Claiborne (Elizabeth Huddle) is an elderly woman who has just moved in with her son and his wife, and they must all learn to live with themselves and one another. Luann Utterback (Kit Harris) is finally driven to confront her alcoholic, racist husband. Vivian Vanderveeck (Jane Jones), a lonely woman who lavishes all her affection on her dog, may finally find the man of her dreams--or will she? The psychic she consults on the matter admits she is a fraud. A teenager (Bridget O'Neill) takes a job "babysitting" an autistic neighbor, and ends up with a fresh perspective.

Yes, there's a lot of deeper meaning here. There's also a great comedy, with a witty and intelligent script that pokes fun at the seriousness of life. Days after I saw the film, I was still thinking about it and smiling. Barbara Dirickson takes on the bit role of Walter's slightly manic sister Brenda in a scene-stealingly hilarious turn. The aforementioned crow joins a persistent spider and a pair of (nearly) identical dogs, all performing touching, funny portrayals of their species. The pathetic, neurotic old maid dog-owner cliche of Vivian is transformed into a sweet, likeable everywoman by Jones' perfect comic timing and sensitive performance; the audience ends up laughing with her instead of mocking her struggle to find love. Procaccino's Walter is unconsciously ridiculous in his attempts to kill himself and in his final scenes.

The tragedy here is that Joyful Partaking doesn't have a distribution deal. So it remains to be seen when, if ever, it will be shown in local theaters again. Pester your local video store managers to acquire a copy--Rain City Video's Sunset Hill location, at least, is duty-bound to get one for the neighborhood.

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