Dear Isabella Rossellini:

You were at the director’s brunch; I was at the director’s brunch. Our eyes met. You smiled. I smiled–out of joy for being there, and not, as you surmised, out of personal recognition.

Then I waved, which admittedly might have been a little misleading.

As I walked over to shake your hand I was really, sincerely planning to tell you that we haven’t actually met but that I think you are lovely and great. But then somehow, we were conversing like friendly longtime acquaintances and the words just didn’t come out.

I’m not sure if you were exercising social grace or if the (glorious, to-be-celebrated) profusion of blonde female directors present had an understandably dizzying effect, but either way I’m glad we got to talk. Tiffany Shlain has two movies at Sundance this year; hopefully you thought I was her.