Saw this online at the Bushwick film festival. By far did not expect anything like it.
I've been able to watch indie films at different film festivals over the years and they always seem to come in the same molds. The ones aiming for "prestige" focus on identity politics and stories that simply want you to empathize with some real lifestyle or socio group. I guess so they can pat themselves on the back for being so cultural. Now I'm not knocking that per say but where's the more nuanced messaging? Where's the actual real artistic perspective? Hopefully you get the chance to see this film because it has one.
Judging from some of the reviews here it sounds like a lot of people are stuck on the New York qualities and funny stuff and good acting. I thought all that was great too. Now obviously I can't speak for the filmmaker, but the real reason this film blew me away is how it reshapes conventions, parodies so many things, and makes fun of the art form itself. All in order to pinpoint our fallacies in glamorizing the modern traveler lifestyle that we see all over social media these days. And what's great is it doesn't tell you a clear socio-moral side, it just makes you aware of the inner conflict we may end up facing. Artistic statements like these are typically reserved for pure "intellectual" cinema - but here you get it in a full-on entertaining package. Please more of this and less Netflix genre fare.
I've been able to watch indie films at different film festivals over the years and they always seem to come in the same molds. The ones aiming for "prestige" focus on identity politics and stories that simply want you to empathize with some real lifestyle or socio group. I guess so they can pat themselves on the back for being so cultural. Now I'm not knocking that per say but where's the more nuanced messaging? Where's the actual real artistic perspective? Hopefully you get the chance to see this film because it has one.
Judging from some of the reviews here it sounds like a lot of people are stuck on the New York qualities and funny stuff and good acting. I thought all that was great too. Now obviously I can't speak for the filmmaker, but the real reason this film blew me away is how it reshapes conventions, parodies so many things, and makes fun of the art form itself. All in order to pinpoint our fallacies in glamorizing the modern traveler lifestyle that we see all over social media these days. And what's great is it doesn't tell you a clear socio-moral side, it just makes you aware of the inner conflict we may end up facing. Artistic statements like these are typically reserved for pure "intellectual" cinema - but here you get it in a full-on entertaining package. Please more of this and less Netflix genre fare.