Bart Walker, the Park School- and Harvard-educated lawyer turned agent, played guardian angel to many renowned independent films even before he became a partner at New York's Cinetic Media. Here are our favorite films that Walker has been associated with, whether by representing the writers or directors or advising them on sales and distribution.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly At age 43, a devastating stroke sends Jean-Dominique Bauby, a smart, chic Parisian, into "locked-in syndrome," which leaves thoughts and feelings intact within an inert body. This film provides an ecstatic lift for movie lovers, despite the tragic subject; director Julian Schnabel achieves a thrilling fusion of realism and lyricism. He puts us inside Bauby's "diving bell" and reminds us that any individual's vision is a partial vision, limited but also made glorious by a singular point of view.
The Savages A college teacher (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and his unproduced playwright sister (Laura Linney) make an uneasy team of caregivers when their father (Philip Bosco) lapses into dementia. With a bracing, merciless honesty and a surprisingly supple, humor-streaked pathos, writer-director Tamara Jenkins picks up on how they drive each other crazy — and then sane. What's most involving about "The Savages" is the way that dealing with a parent's disease catalyzes two drifting siblings into taking stock of their lives.
Precious The biggest surprise of 2009 was this electrically compassionate look at an abused young woman (Gabourey Sidibe) and her escape from the control of a horrifying mother (Mo'Nique). These two create an extraordinary dance of simmering rebellion and sadistic manipulation. But the whole ensemble is aces, including Mariah Carrey as a responsible, no-nonsense social worker and Paula Patton as a dedicated teacher. And under Lee Daniels' direction, you can't look away for a nanosecond.