Hilarious. During the first half hour all I could think of was how i was going to email all of the girls i know to tell them to see this. The camping arguments, the elusive mood swings, reminded me of all of them... But then Yeast is more universal than that, and by the halfway point i was reminded of my own mood swings, and my own unsolvable irrational hostilities. In retrospect it reminds me of Dostoyevski's Notes From the Underground. The misery, the conflict, relentless and almost self-satisfying. They subtly grin sometimes while they dig at each other.
I loved this movie. I am a big fan of Cassavettes, and this feels like a natural evolution of that thread of film-making. Although in Yeast the characters are more archetypal than "real". Don't get me wrong the performances of Mary Bronstein, Greta Gerwig and Amy Judd, of the whole cast are full of brilliantly wild subtle moments. During the film I thought a lot about "A Woman Under the Influence." But in this film, no one is outside the influence. Everyone is insane. I love the last shot of the girl alone, totally in need of the people she has treated so poorly, the people who all hate each other. To be lead by the hand up to a moment as emotionally complicated and ambiguous as that ending, well its just about the greatest thing in the world.
In the sense of being an 'indie' film, i should say i got a great thrill out of thinking about how it was made. Sneaking into the 'reserved' section of a burger king, walking through the turnstyles at Great America... I really felt like i was there. And this is the great advantage of this kind of film and why it succeeds where Hollywood fails. Movies shouldn't be afraid to keep the camera close to their actors. I really enjoy this sort of intimacy. What Yeast adds to this notion is the idea of cramming the most reactionary absurd conflict possible into that small and genuine space. I think ultimately the film starts to articulate something larger than just some great performances. there is something far more thoughtful and deliberate going on here.
I really dislike this word "mumblecore". I am very pleased to see that at least one group of filmmakers is kicking and screaming their way towards articulating a more impassioned vision.
I loved this movie. I am a big fan of Cassavettes, and this feels like a natural evolution of that thread of film-making. Although in Yeast the characters are more archetypal than "real". Don't get me wrong the performances of Mary Bronstein, Greta Gerwig and Amy Judd, of the whole cast are full of brilliantly wild subtle moments. During the film I thought a lot about "A Woman Under the Influence." But in this film, no one is outside the influence. Everyone is insane. I love the last shot of the girl alone, totally in need of the people she has treated so poorly, the people who all hate each other. To be lead by the hand up to a moment as emotionally complicated and ambiguous as that ending, well its just about the greatest thing in the world.
In the sense of being an 'indie' film, i should say i got a great thrill out of thinking about how it was made. Sneaking into the 'reserved' section of a burger king, walking through the turnstyles at Great America... I really felt like i was there. And this is the great advantage of this kind of film and why it succeeds where Hollywood fails. Movies shouldn't be afraid to keep the camera close to their actors. I really enjoy this sort of intimacy. What Yeast adds to this notion is the idea of cramming the most reactionary absurd conflict possible into that small and genuine space. I think ultimately the film starts to articulate something larger than just some great performances. there is something far more thoughtful and deliberate going on here.
I really dislike this word "mumblecore". I am very pleased to see that at least one group of filmmakers is kicking and screaming their way towards articulating a more impassioned vision.