Let Them Chirp Awhile

I went in to this flick not really knowing what to expect and, leaning more towards the white-collar breed, was admittedly a bit intimidated by the film's New York 'hipster' lifestyle focus that I know little of. I was pleasantly surprised to find that after sitting through the first 15 minutes of the film, it was evident that the main characters weren't really 'hip' at all, and that the central storyline, character types, and basic human interactions were easily relatable.

For a first film, some of the shots are fantastic - it's clear that the director is influenced by Woody Allen and Stanley Kubrick (I'm not saying expect 'Manhattan' or '2001', but you'll get the picture...it's a far cry from some of the IFC films you see that look like they were shot with your mom's $200 Sony camcorder). But the impressive performance by the cast is what helped pull the whole picture together, and it made me surprised that this was only granted a limited release. Chirp is witty and entertaining, with cinematographic and stylistic integrity, and just enough intellectual undertones to keep you intrigued without coming off as pretentious. The film, like its main character, strives to find a balance between humility and pride - between self-critical honesty and self-supporting confidence.

The film really connects to a broad audience - anyone who is or has been a 20-something striving to find themselves will have their hair blown back. It's really just an enjoyable 90 minutes. And as he begins to define and hone his style, I'll be looking forward to seeing what Blitstein's got coming in the future - thumbs up!