This lengthily titled film represents the last true indie I have for a while on my Netflix queue, which is fine. I like to vary it up, and I've been trying to mix AFI movies with my regular queue, all depending upon where I am in the order of watching them, simply to get a taste of different films. Truthfully, I'd never heard of this film until I started trolling around on Spout. So, here's a plug for the reverent Spout.com: you can really learn about films you might not have otherwise heard about because the user base is so diverse and eclectic in its film-loving tastes. Just troll through the "community buzz" section of the Movies tab and see what people are talking about. My want to see list has grown exponentially thanks to that exercise.
I digress. I read the plot summary to this film and some of the reviews and felt I needed to watch it when Netflix recommended it to me, thinking I would like it. Thus, here we are. And I did like it. I didn't love it, but I liked it. It was cute.
Miranda July wrote, directed, and starred in the film. She plays Christine, an eccentric artist driven by impulse. She yearns to support herself with her performance art but compromises by running a cab service for the elderly. On one of her day trips with one of her customers, she encounters Richard (John Hawkes), a salesman at a shoe store. He's experiencing a painful divorce that's left him a little lost - mainly because the sinking-in of it caused him to burn his hand. On purpose. I digress. He tries to connect with his two sons Peter and Robby, but their malaise at their parents' situation is coupled with curiosity about sex, which they explore through an internet chat room. Richard also works with his neighbor, who does everything but outright proposition two teenaged girls, just as curious about sex as the boys. And so it goes - every character is connected to another character, but the connection comes through a yearning for that connection. Because all of the characters seem to have a certain loneliness or emptiness to them that motivates their actions, from the sweet to the less-than-innocent, driving them toward a need for intimacy.
I liked the originality of this story. It wasn't a traditional romantic comedy, but it toyed with those elements. It wasn't a typical indie drama, per se, but it had all of the ingredients. It was a film that seemed to drive toward something profound - but it didn't quite get there. Or, it did get there, but in an anticlimactic way. This film felt light and frothy when I get the sense that it was trying to be deep. It's this intangible, almost ethereal quality that prevents me from truly loving the picture.
On the other hand, I really liked some of the elements. I thought Ms. July's direction was superb, using a variety of camera techniques to connect the viewer, however momentarily, to all of the different players and their particular perspectives. The pacing was also great, even and tight; the film was always engaging. I liked the score, at times, though at other times, its kitsche felt annoying. I also liked the performances. I think the best and most believable performance belonged to John Hawkes as the man-child struggling with his sense of loss while being completely caught off guard by Christine's less-than-subtle though certainly unusual advances. His responses felt real to me. Ms. July also gave a good performance, though, at times, it was uneven, and that's not just because her character is so kooky. I get the sense that her character was semi-autobiographical, and when the character most closely resembled the real woman was when the performance was most convincing. Other times, I just felt like she was staring with big wide doe eyes because she didn't know what else to do. That's not a criticism as much as it is a general impression I got.
My biggest problem with this film was with the widespread sexualization of the under-18 crowd. When that kind of stuff gets put into film, I really have to stop and consider the filmmaker's intentions, whether I can grasp the "art" of it or not. I guess I had the hardest time with Robby and his naive explorations in the internet chat room. Naturally, he doesn't get everything because he's so young, and we all have to learn sometime, but I was trying to understand how his need for this connection fit into the whole scheme of things. I think I get it, but it gave me some pause, considering that we also have the curious yet slightly maladjusted teenager girls and Peter, who's really just searching for something real amongst the surreal of his life.
All in all, I felt the film was cute, sweet, even a little precious without being over the top. I was entertained; there were just some parts that alienated from the film as much as there were elements that fostered a connection with me. So, I think the film deserves a 7.5, between shaky and very good/minor flaws. It doesn't pass the test, however. I can't see myself watching this more than once or drawing it from my own movie collection, though if it's aired on the indie cable channel, I might stop and watch it for nostalgia's sake. It resonated with me but not in any meaningful way - like it skimmed the surface of a placid lake without sinking in. I appreciate that it's all about everyone (and me and you); I just wish it had reached the finish line with the point it was trying to make.