I've been a big fan of Joel for a while, and have watched a few of his films, so I knew on some level what to expect with this. The same cannot be said for my housemate. He's the sort of guy who likes movies on for background noise more than for plot, and is the last person I would expect to sit through anything resembling an 'indie' movie. I expected he would insist I turn this off within 5 minutes, but instead, we both sat there 90 minutes later speechless and with tears in our eyes.
What I'm trying to say is that Joel's filmmaking style is unlike anything I've ever encountered. It is so raw, so unfiltered, and so honest that it doesn't feel like you're watching a movie at all. The lines between fiction and reality are so blurred, and all the performances (if they can even be called that) are so insanely authentic and believable that you really feel you are a fly on the wall of the most intimate moments of these peoples lives.
At times this feels like watching a train wreck in slow motion. It can be agonizingly awkward but for some reason you can't look away. The creativity in which Joel uses the medium to convey such a strong and specific emotion reminds me of the power of indie movies, and how sometimes larger production and budgets can get in the way of emotion, rather than enhance it.
What else can I say. If you love indie movies, you will love this. If you hate them, I think you'll love it to.
