MicroCinema Scene

The new issue of Filmmaker Magazine has a feature article on the new filmmaking movement that is being dubbed “mumblecore.” Some other terms being thrown around include “Slackavettes,” “bedhead cinema” and the “neo-slacker generation.”

The movement is characterized by ultra-naturalistic, low-fi portraits of twentysomething life. They are often rough around the edges and sometimes are even shot with the autofocus on. The performances are often improvised. The budgets are very low. The audio is often really bad. If you’re wondering what the hell I’m talking about, in my opinion, the three key films of the mumblecore movement are Funny Ha-Ha (Andrew Bujalski), The Puffy Chair (the Duplass Brothers) and Hannah Takes the Stairs (Joe Swanberg). I’ve watched and greatly enjoyed all of these films, despite their technical shortcomings. In many ways, this group of filmmakers have fulfilled the potential of the microcinema movement. Instead of making movies that aspire to be big-budget mainstream flicks, they have embraced the strengths and weaknesses of pro-sumer digital technology and launched a wave of honest, charming and very personal films.

For the past year or so, I’ve suspected that some kind of “movement” was afoot, and now that Filmmaker has published this article, it has solidified a lot of my own thinking on the issue. Unfortunately, the movement will now will probably be stuck with the unfortunate “mumblecore” label. This label is so precious it threatens to kill any credibility these filmmakers have before their careers even get off the ground. So, aside from the tiny budgets and the mumbling, what is a “mumblecore” movie?

What are the criteria for inclusion (besides “No jerks”)? The first aesthetic indicators — and, it must be stressed, not all friends of mumblecore make films like this — are improvised dialogue and naturalistic performances, often by non-actors. The films employ handheld, vérité-style digital camerawork and long takes. Budgets are tiny. The plots hinge on everyday events. The stories are often obvious reflections of the filmmakers’ lives. Most characters are white and educated and pursue creative endeavors when not pursuing one another. They are sensitive. They are sincere.

A lot of tension ensues over the answering or non-answering of cell-phone calls. Characters frequently attend and perform in sparsely populated weeknight music shows. There is an abundance of road trips.

Technology is ever present. Four Eyed Monsters is the story of its directors, Buice and Crumley. The two met online and decided to fall in love without speaking to each other in person, only via texts, emails, notes and MySpace. Swanberg especially, in LOL most of all, gets deep inside the effort to communicate through thick layers of screens. The Puffy Chair’s entire plot is set in motion by a phony eBay listing, perhaps a metaphor for the characters’ interpersonal misrepresentations. The suitcase-clutching heroine of Quiet City arrives in Brooklyn completely stranded, betrayed by her cell phone, waiting throughout the entire film for a voice mail to tell her where to go. She stumbles into a real, live connection in the meantime.

Above all, mumblecore films are about trying to communicate.

Check out the rest of the article for more information on the mumblecore movement. There’s also a great sidebar article written by Joe Swanberg about the making of his second film LOL - produced on a true microcinema budget of only $3,000.

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