Glad you enjoyed it, Dan. There were a lot of bracing films in the mix, and those of us who enjoy the trappings that come with the festival will always skew positive in our overall assessment.

Overall, however, I think it remains among the most disjointed collections that the FNF has offered in its long career—not the Chicago lineup specifically, but the generic concept itself. I think it’s telling that in the FNF debut in New York, this programming was downplayed in favor of a second set of selections showcasing New York noir, which received the lion’s share of the media coverage and drew larger crowds as a result.

I’m gong to research how this series will be deployed at its last major stop—NC DC at AFI Silver Spring next month. Todd Hitchcock often shifts things around to suit his own whims…which sometimes improves things. We’ll soon see if such is the case this time…