Kissing on the Mouth (2005)

Director:

Joe Swanberg

Writers:

Kevin Pittman (written by)
Joe Swanberg (written by)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Post-college life in close-up.

Plot:

Raw. Honest. Naked. "Kissing on the Mouth" is post-college life in close-up. Ellen is sleeping with...

Plot Keywords:

College | Mumblecore | Male Female Relationship | Nudity | Masturbation

Cast

Kate Winterich	...	Ellen
Joe Swanberg	...	Patrick
Kevin Pittman	...	Chris Bucket
Kris Swanberg	...	Laura (as Kris Williams)
Julie VanDeWeghe	...	Model
Ryan Burg	...	(voice)
Annie Gomberg	...	(voice)
Kevin Bewersdorf	...	(voice)
Mary Lee Giacalone	...	(voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ivan Albertson	...	TV Voice (voice)
Mike Hagan	...	TV Voice (voice)
Mike Swanberg	...	TV Voice (voice)

Runtime:

USA:78 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Movie Connections:

References "The Simpsons" (1989)

All String, No Knot

I spend a lot of time with the films of young filmmakers. Sometimes I'm completely blown away, because of all the ordinary values and risk that youth carries. A life with film needs this, it really does.

But its an investment that along the way brings a whole lot of disappointment. This is one such.

You may take my view with qualification because one value I hold dear is the "long form," the ability to not just present a world but have something happens therein that matters. It isn't enough to merely display, you have to engage, transform, penetrate.

These kids have some promising intuitions about this: there are within the story two guys: one is a photographer and the other apparently a sound editor. Also, the film alternates between interviews — ostensibly for the sound guy's project — and an ordinary watching of a certain young woman. We learn a few things about her, and along the way see a couple things not often seen in films. So there is structural folding in the thing.

And the performances are natural. But that's not saying much because these characters are only half-people. We learn through DVD extras that this is who they actually are. There's some sex and nudity here. Commentors note that this also is natural. It didn't seem so to me, instead as artificially posed as usual. Yes, I presume that sex we see is "real," at least once. And the camera seems to be casual and lingers on odd trash as much as on bodies, something that mirrors the offhand Gen Y sense of awareness.

But there's nothing done with this at all. One wonders why it was made at all, other than the four involved were bored.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.