Monday, October 12, 2015

Funny Ha Ha

Andrew Bujalski – 2002 – USA
 
Endearing and low-key independent feature written and directed by Andrew Bujalski about a young woman trying to settle on what her life is going to be, or should be.  Kate Dollenmayer plays Marnie, who makes half-hearted and often humiliating attempts to define her identity, initiate romance and make career decisions, and all of the above are equally strained and awkward.  Put like that, it sounds extremely depressing, but Marnie’s and other characters’ quirks are so honest and unpredictable that you can’t help but laugh.  The film is known as the first  mumblecore film, but I have no idea how exactly this genre is different than other very low-budget character-driven indie films of the past such as those by John Cassavetes, John Sayles, Jim Jarmusch or Richard Linklater.  I suspect that the critics of the early 21st century simply felt a need to announce the emergence of a new movement, for convenience’s sake and because that’s what they like to do; it makes them feel like they know something the rest of us don’t.

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