Directed by: Alex Lehmann
Written by: Mark Duplass
Starring: Mark Duplass, Sarah Paulson
It's a Mumblecore film. Films shot in low budget, with improvised style of acting. They shot this film in 7 days. It's only 2 actors, a few locations and it has a very nice idea to latch on to. Two highschool sweethearts meet after 20 years and talk about their lives, and discover some shared regrets. Films like these are best made in this style, and it feels like more budget would actually ruin the story and the tone. Most of the film is shot by rolling the camera and capturing moments rather than trying to crafting them. It's almost like a play, but with all the stylistic elements of cinema - mostly editing.
This film has a very bittersweet element to it even before it gets to the ending. The characters seem to be totally cool about it and we feel heavy for them. They go through their old room, their old wardrobes and joke around about stuff. The film doesn't directly explore the pain, it just keeps it in a very undercurrent way. It's just the ending 20 mins where it suddenly gets very intense. The idea of how two people have lost everything because of one choice, it's heartbreaking. Both of them haven't felt anything better ever since. About the visual language, I think since there is less information to capture, when we watch something in black and white, our focus is only on the characters and the story. Malcolm and Marie. Frances Ha. Some of my favorites in the Mumblecore style are Vanilla, Frances Ha, Hong Sangsoo's films, and this film too.
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