Take a digital camera, point it at amateur actors, and....GO. No real script--just young people contemplating out loud about work, life, love, and everything else debilitating about being twenty-something. It sounds like a recipe for disaster, but there is something there. It's something I just discovered called Mumblecore--an American independent film movement that employs all of the above. Cinema verite meets French New Wave, with a sprinkle of Woody Allen and a dash of Richard Linklater.
Hannah Takes the Stairs is the most recent release under this genre. It's been widely criticized for being "pretentious" or too "indie". What does that mean? Isn't it pretentious to break a film, or filmmaking style down based on having an indie/hipster following? The critics (actually lay people/paramount hipsters who find it impossible to come down from their soap box) refuse to see this film for what it is. It's a simple story about a girl who's not sure what she wants, so she has to bounce through relationships to find what makes her happy. It is conceived somewhat experimentally, though the idea of improvisation is not new in filmmaking. To me, there's nothing wrong with taking an old idea and running with it. It's kind of exciting that director Joe Swanberg has brought this style back in the age of boring trilogies and high-octane action flicks. I need something I can relate to, and this film is it.The element of improvisation makes it hard to believe you're watching fiction. When you see Hannah and any one of her men kiss, it feels as if you're there, awkwardly spying on them. When the actors speak, it's like you're witnessing their thought processes. Their speech is slightly disjointed, yet always articulate. Greta Gerwig as Hannah is amazing--with every perfectly timed sigh, every truthful insight. Some people may find her observations about chronic dissatisfaction and the manic nature of crushes mundane and palpable. For me, however, it can be very inspiring to hear someone verbalize things that cross my mind on a daily basis. I can find myself in a character like Hannah, which is what's so engaging about this film. I hope one day I can have a happy ending much like hers. Bathtub, trumpets, and all.
Trailer:
2 comments:
Nice. Nice bit here. And there's most certainly something manic about crushes. It's why they're insanely unproductive and ultimately inadequate.
Anyway, just dropping in to see if there were any updates. Apparently, there are.
i want to see this! it looks amazing!
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