Review of Tiny Furniture (2010) by Judith R — 01 Oct 2010

Tiny Furniture was an elegant train wreck. Yes, it won SXSW this year, a fact that should immediately make you want to ignore every bit of this review, but after my first hand experience last night, I implore you to heed this warning.

The film is beautifully shot, yet is lacking a single attractive character. The sound design is impeccable, but all we get to hear is whining. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen because I kept feeling sicker and sicker, kept alive only by the hope that I would suddenly realize it was a satire of every annoying girl I've seen trolling the streets of New York in their cocoon of wealth spun from neglectful parents.

....it wasn't. The reviews from SXSW make the intentions of this film quite clear, to create empathy for a whining, sloppy, unmotivated, unattractive, and uninteresting character. The only hint of redemption comes from her being surrounded by hipster stereotypes, from her mother and sister to friends and co-workers, who are far more obnoxious than her (though thankfully less whiny).

I give it 20% for the cinematography, sound design, and the fact that I literally couldn't stop watching it. In short, its a film about Women whining to Women about whiny Women.