Review of Beeswax (2009) by Bonnie C — 10 Apr 2010
The usual mumblecore motifs are much in evidence: there is a lot of T-shirt action, scenes set in bijou coffee shops, a fair bit of napping; there are lightbulb crises, and no-one seems able to complete a phone call successfully.
.. My own personal jury remains locked in deliberation on mumblecore as a movement: the apparent lack of storytelling discipline, the ignorance of/wilful disregard for all the conventional cinematic wisdoms, can be infuriating, although here it mirrors the characters' own ignorance, the sense they, too, don't really know what they've got themselves into.
The films' pep remains refreshing: Bujalski may even have arrived at a motto for the entire movement - as fuzzy-headed and keen-hearted as it is - with Lauren's mid-morning status update of "a little hungover, but still optimistic".
"Beeswax" couldn't be further from the trend of 3D-enhanced big night outs the American cinema is working towards, but it offers something just as cherishable in its own limited, small-scale way: the reassuring, familiar pleasures of an evening spent among friends.
This review of Beeswax (2009) was written by Bonnie C on 10 Apr 2010.
Beeswax has generally received mixed reviews.
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