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An odd-duck couple who have had plenty of years to be married (read: get bored) and far too much time on their hands decide to adopt a cat. They can't pick it up for a month because it's undergoing some medical treatments, and they're warned that if they fail to arrive on the designated date the cat will be euthanized. The prospect of that last month of freedom before they make a commitment to something other than themselves opens up a fissure in their lives and threatens to destroy a complacency they had begun to take for granted.

The fact that adopting a cat counts in their lives as a commitment great enough to alter their lives forever should tell you a little something about the personalities of these main characters, and if we end up being fed up with both of them, and her especially, I think we're meant to. It's nearly impossible to sympathize with people whose lives are basically so cushy that taking on a pet takes on the momentous proportions of a major life event -- but then I think of my own life, and how good I basically have it, and how good even the most average American basically has it, and how most of my problems would seem pretty petty to a lot of other people out there in the world, and realize that maybe what annoys me about these characters are the qualities I see in them that most annoy me about myself.

"The Future" I think is a cautionary tale about what happens to people when they spend all of their lives worrying about what their lives could be instead of accepting what their lives actually are. At some point, everyone gets to an age where he or she has to simply commit to SOMETHING, whether it be another person, a child, a cause, a pet, a life path, a career. Whatever it is, they have to make a conscious choice to make the best of what they have and stop worrying about what could have been. Easier said than done, probably, or many many people would be much happier.

I liked "The Future" well enough while I was watching it, but I can't say it really stuck with me. Miranda July has an off-beat writing and directorial (not to mention acting) style that will probably turn off some. I'm o.k. with it, and I must say that for once it was refreshing to see a movie in which it's the female rather than the male who does a worse job of dealing with a mid-life crisis. Thank you Ms. July for equaling the playing field a bit.

Grade: B

Controversial The Future is a 2011 film that tells the story of an eccentric couple in their mid 30s who lives in a Los Angeles tiny and bohemian flat. Narrated by Paw-Paw, the injured stray kitten that they have adopted, the film tells how Sophie (Miranda July) and Jason (Hamish Linklater)'s lives change dramatically during the month that they have to wait for taking the cat home. Its initial naiveté ends up being blurred by the shadows provoked by the protagonists' decision to break with their daily routine to fight for their own dreams as if they have been told they have only four weeks to live. Soon the adventure is over and in their blind and desperate search of their paths their steps grow more and more away.

Heartbreaking, absurd, surrealistic, twee and bizarre at the same time, The Future is a piece of independent cinema that cannot be overlooked just because of the presence of disturbing elements such as the talking cat (whose high-pitched, childish voice rumbling in the dark is a powerful beginning by the way). Miranda July, director, writer and star of the film, is not just "being weird for the sake of being weird", but uses fantastic and bizarre images and situations to talk about our biggest taboos: the frailty of love, the futility of dreams, the anxiety about the passage of time and…the fear of death.

With their scruffy curls and their apathetic attitude towards life, Sophie and Jason seem to be the perfect couple. By seeing them lied down on the couch with their feet entangled, the spectator realizes that they felt really comfortable being together. The image of Jason peacefully sleeping over Sophie's chest (sweet for some, twee for others) is also a very faithful representation of true love, as well as Jason's attempt to stop time forever reflects very well how heartbreak feels. Miranda July said in an interview that she intended to describe: "the bittersweet vertigo of true love". Despite the audience does not doubt in the sincerity and profundity of the feelings of the couple, it is forced to see how circumstances and human weakness makes their love begin falling apart.

Firstly, to understand why they (as us ourselves) start panicking when the words "a 5 years commitment" are brought up, it is necessary to come back to the kitten wounded in her paw. Like Paw-Paw, who patiently waits for the couple to start his real life (she's even counting the days), we are always waiting for something good to happen, for the real beginning of our lives. And when we reach the thirties, we start to question ourselves if that beginning is not already gone, get depressed for having wasted the first half of our life and look at the future even more anxiously than before.

This is more or less what happens to Sophie and Jason, whom the idea of looking after a kitten -requiring a total care- for the next five years of their lives, make them think of their (scary) future: "We're 35 now ... by the time the cat dies, we'll be 40 ... and 40 might as well be 50 ... and after that, spare change." "Spare change?" "Less than a dollar-- not enough to get anything you want …" Jason's words reflect our anxiety about the passage of time as we cannot help feeling frustrated when the years pass by without us having reached the milestones we set for ourselves. Nonetheless in the film July, who said of life "I rush through it, like I'm being chased", warns us about the dangers that this feeling of "being always late" (late to live?) provokes. The Future not only make us consider how useless is to be always projecting into when it's going to be "better", but also make us question the importance of our lifetime dreams. It kind of helps us to get rid of the endless frustration caused by the contrast between our high expectations and our day-to-day reality. Like Sophie and Jason, everyone suffers from the Cervantine conflict, that is to say, the conflict between the world as we have imagined it and the world as it is. The story of Sophie and Jason somehow questions the futility of dreams, often unattainable and absurd (remembering Jason's: "I always thought I'd be a world leader").

How is it possible we cannot live happily just because we have not achieved some pretentious (generally childish) life goals? The Future, although has not the answer to the question, teaches us to open our eyes to our own limitations and stop feeling as if we deserved something better in life so as to start really enjoying ours. Life is not about waiting things to happen, but making things happen, as July said in No One Belongs Here More Than You: "Don't wait to be sure. Move, move, move"

July says that she intended to describe "the bittersweet vertigo of true love". Here an intense fear (vertigo) is intimately linked to an intense love, as imagining spending a whole life with someone is scary because from the beginning everyone already knows how the story ends, one dying in the arms of the other. Hence marriage makes you inevitably realize your own mortality and finiteness.

Some optimism is hidden, nevertheless, behind the pessimistic tone of the film. No matter what happens we always have to remember the enigmatic words of Joe Putterlik played by Joe Putterlik himself, an eccentric old man who Miranda met in a street market. This old man who participated in the film shortly before dying, tell us with his example that until you are dead, never is too late to live. So remember: "This is just the beginning".

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it is about learning to dance in the rain"

Anonymous

I was excitedly waiting for this film to appear in the cozy theater in my town. I really enjoyed Me and You and Everyone We Know. When I saw the trailer for The Future I thought the character Sophie is very similar to Christine in the previous film. The feeling of both films are very similar and I say that as a compliment; it gives Miranda July her own unique voice in film.

When I watched the film I regretted having seen the trailer, as it gave away a lot of the key points in the story. I think this is a very good film portraying relationships between couples. I could see a lot of symbols in the film pointing at the gender stereotypes everyone is affected by as being part of a patriarchal society. I like the concept of the cat representing the union of the two people, and how Miranda shows pets in relation to the other couples in the story to show whether or not their relationship survived/withstood time. I think this film provokes thoughts and is meant to make people reflect about their relationships with others. It shows that miscommunication, fear of confrontation, fear of being ourselves, is what breaks relationships. He cannot love her if he doesn't love himself. She cannot love him if she doesn't love herself. We can't have decent relationships when we're not being honest with ourselves. Being honest with another person, loving the other person, comes second to being honest and loving yourself.

I don't understand why this film has so many negative comments in the reviews. I truly enjoyed this and hope to see Miranda continue with more projects.

An odd film seemingly about a couple, Jason and Sophie who are stuck in a relationship going nowhere

They lead a samey existence and reach a crossroads in their relationship. Just before this point they help an old stray cat, unsure whether they will be together to look after the cat the rest of its life they eventually decide they will adopt it and promise to return in 30 days.

Jason quits his job as a phone based IT support to educate the public of environmental issues disguised as tree selling. Sophie randomly find the telephone number of a man on the reverse of a painting and makes contact.

Jason finds an older guy who finds purpose in his life selling objects. Sophie discovers the restrictions of a suburban lifestyle.

Throughout this is the story of Paw Paw, the cat. A cat happy with his lot but then for the first time ever has discovered the human touch. Paw Paw is careful not to show too much to the humans but inside is ready for this move, indeed it seems it has been waiting it's whole life for someone to pick it up and want to care, and play and love this cat.

"The Future" is an excellent, surreal, cold comedy in the tradition of the great Spike Jonze & Charlie Kaufman films "Adaptation", "Being John Malkovich" and the brain-blasting "Synecdoche NY".

"Cold comedy" is a term I just made up to describe the way they make me feel. They make me laugh, but I also feel an uneasy chill up my spine. Maybe it's because the underlying story is somewhat cynical, with a chilly, brooding philosophy of life. But these films manage to poke fun of this hopeless condition in a way that tickles your funny bone.

I preface this review with a warning. As often, whoever wrote the DVD packaging is an idiot. This is definitely NOT a "whimsical romantic comedy" or whatever they advertise. So if you're expecting something cute & fun like "When Harry Met Sally", you might want to move on. Instead, what we get is a very, VERY oddball farce centered around a young clueless couple. If you liked "(500) Days of Summer" which, itself, is prefaced with the narration "This is not a love story", then keep reading because you'll probably like this movie too.

If you're an animal lover, particularly someone who has rescued a dog or cat from the local pound, you'll be drawn in instantly. The story begins through the eyes of a stray cat "Paw Paw" in a shelter, nervously waiting to be adopted by the couple before time runs out. The voice of the cat becomes the voice of wisdom throughout the film. I've never seen a film that takes such a thoughtful & innocent approach as through the eyes of a raggedy, injured cat waiting at the pound.

The first half of the movie is so bizarrely funny, with such unique characters living in their private bizarre bubble, it feels something like "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure". But now imagine "Bill & Ted" if it were directed by French New Wave filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard. Starting to get the picture...? In the director's commentary on the DVD, writer/director/star Miranda July calls this a very "still" movie. There are long breaks between characters speaking. There is a lot of silence, allowing us to soak in the depth of the moment. She jokes about one scene where the leading man dramatically rips off his headphones, and she calls it the big action scene, the equivalent of a car crash in this movie. Haha.

The slow, deadpan delivery makes the humor even more pervasive. I laughed out loud several times in the first half. But midway through the movie, the mood shifts suddenly and drastically. The remaining half is no longer a comedy but more like a soul-searching philosophical adventure. At first I hated the unexpected change (as the title of this review implies) because I was really enjoying the oddball comedy.

But, as the recurring theme of the movie implies, "the beginning" is only temporary. Life changes drastically. Love changes drastically. The plot, theme and mood of the film illustrate this perfectly. I can't say much more without ruining the story, so just be ready for anything. Ride this crazy roller-coaster to the end.

The acting and particularly the casting is flawless. The chemistry between the two leads, Sophie (Miranda July) and Jason (Hamish Linklater) is so perfect you'd think they're soulmates in real life. Another excellent piece of casting is Joe Putterlik who plays the old man. He is NOT an actor! Miranda found him while answering an ad in the Pennysaver classifieds, and she was so taken by his authenticity that she cast him in the role.

Another thing I really enjoyed was the great use of symbolism. You have to pay close attention, or even see the movie twice like I did, to catch most of it. Especially in the 2nd half when things become very poetic and sublime, you have to be on your toes.

If you like surreal comedy, like the films I mentioned earlier, films by Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", "The Science of Sleep"), the early Johnny Depp flick "Arizona Dream", the Paul Giamatti comedy "Cold Souls", or maybe even the grandfather of modern surreal comedy "Catch 22", don't hesitate to see this movie. See them all. Whenever I stumble on a film like this, I'm reminded that cinema is a true art form.

I went into this film with low expectations because it seemed as though it would be just another film full of contrived quirks and gratuitous plot twists meant to seem original, and while my husband is a full-force Miranda July fan, I can take or leave her work.

But I was floored by how good it was. Perhaps due in part to my lower expectations. But I thought it was touching and poignant - and very funny (the whole theater laughed out loud a few times). I cried at the beginning, and I cried (sobbed, really, while having to cover my mouth to mute myself) at the end. I really enjoyed July and Hamish Linklater; especially Linklater, who seemed like a more accessible character while July still bordered on the wide-eyed, "unique" indie-chick stereotype. Though she did break through that enough moments in the film for me to enjoy her character. The cat monologues that I had cringed at when I read about them prior to seeing the film actually worked quite well for me.

I don't think this is a movie I'll re-watch often in The Future, but it's definitely one I think people should see at least once or twice.

The Future is a film that is overflowing with ideas, but doesn't seem to have enough focus to turn those ideas into a solid story. Despite its Charlie Kaufman-esque qualities, I was genuinely intrigued by the concept of this movie. It's an interesting exploration of life and relationships, particularly when it comes to the way time passes relative to what you are doing (and plan to do in the future.) I enjoyed the quirky couple in the film, and was totally interested to see how they would handle their fears. The first act of the movie was genuinely funny to me, and I got some good laughs at their strange personalities. Then as the story progressed it was fun to see them face their fears of commitment and the inevitability of death. They probably aren't the best role models, but that didn't stop me from enjoying their banter back and forth.

Some of the more supernatural/surreal moments in The Future worked perfectly for me, but it always felt like Miranda July took it a bit too far. For instance, I was on board for the magic of time stopping in a moment, but struggled with how it got going again. Also, the resolution of the cat's story left something to be desired, but I won't spoil all of that for you. I really do admire what Miranda July was trying to do in The Future, and it had me reeled in from start to finish. While I might not totally understand everything it's trying to say, and I certainly don't like all that happened in the film, the fact that I'm still thinking about it weeks later is a sign that something special is going on. Unlike most non-linear films that lack a traditional narrative, The Future is one I could see myself rewatching just to try and figure it out.

If you want to see a film about empty headed yuppies who care only about themselves, this is your movie.

If you however, care about the plight of animals in shelters, this will break your heart.

Terrible movie. (I wasn't going to give it even one star, but there are a couple of humorous moments.)

Thanks to Miranda July and her movie called The Future, we are offered a complex and peculiar story surrounded by an environment of insecurity that makes us wonder about our personal life expectancies. A couple in their thirties decides to adopt an abandoned cat. The cat has an injured leg, and so, they have to wait for a month until it is recovered from its illness to take it with them. Meanwhile, they start to think that they have to enjoy their last month of freedom, because the cat would not allow them to do so any longer.

The cat only appears physically once at the movie, but it has much more importance than that. In fact, it is the narrator. It helps the audience to be put into context, and it sometimes gives sense to some parts of the film that seem to be incoherent. A part from having an important leading role, it will be the one to break out the whole action; the fact of having decided to adopt it will be the turning point of a story that, at first, seemed to be set in a calm atmosphere.

Some important aspects of life are tackled. For instance, the uncertainty of the future is clearly shown. We have to assume that that is the way it is, we are in control of it, but we are not able to know about it. So, life would not be all about wanting to know more about the future, but to be ready to face what comes next. If we stop to think about the future we do not have enough time to live the present. We spend our daily life worried about the future, and what if that future does not exist?

The entire film is enveloped in an enormous pessimism. The way in which the characters act makes us predict that there is no energy in them and they are likely to lose. Instead of taking into account the advantages that life can offer to them, they only see problems around. They even see the fact of taking care of an abandoned animal as a problem, when that should be taken as a satisfaction. That offers the audience the possibility to decide if that behavior is right for you or not; it is a film that would make people think. Furthermore, it is a movie that favors self-reflection. Although the development of the movie does not make the moral to become evident, one can use the film as the starting point of a personal thought with a clear moral: It does not really matter what will happen next, we have to enjoy the everyday and make the most of it.

This movie made me think of the work of Godard, movies that are more about artistic expression and experimentation than about telling a story. There are a lot of elements in the movie, and July's way of expressing her ideas are so personal that I find difficult to say what the main story is about except that it shows the confusion we live our lives, a confusion that is emotional and existential. The characters act and reason unlike regular people (at least unlike people I know) but not so that weirdness takes center stage -as in David Lynch's movies for example. I have seen most of July's work and I would say she definitely has her own voice, and a very distinct one. The movie leaves you puzzling about for days, sign that it has made a dent in your subconscious and I find those are the best enough to want to see it over and over again, like all good movies and at should leave you.

Hmmm...the summary title says it all. Not quite sure what this film is saying or trying to stimulate you into thinking about: lack of purpose in modern life, the small actions on which lasting love lives or dies, how much of ourselves do we show to each other, emotional paralysis in an atomised first world, the value of human connection above all else, is man designed to run on any other fuel than god, artistic frustration and how beautiful creation can take place as much in your living room as the main stage at the Met, people looking for a place in a senseless world instead of just getting on and helping people... On the downside the dialogue and some of the acting is of the low-burn, snail pace that can destroy any sense of mood or tension...but on the upside there are perhaps 10 moments of absolute beauty, each worth admission alone, and Miranda July is an open wound of a screen presence. And I'm still thinking about the end and all the bits in between. Personally I'm prepared to be slightly confused when I come out highly affected and thinking...

I became a fan of Miranda July after watching her debut movie, and expected this one with curiosity to see what quirks she'll prepare for us this time. And that's what probably spoils it all for her and her fans - expecting quirky story, acting and directing - because there it is, but I couldn't stop thinking how much this reminds me of The Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, no matter how different the films may be. Take away the talking cat, the fantastic metaphorical stopping of time, the strange dances - and it falls apart, what's left is just enough for a short movie, and a student short movie, with foreseeable plot.

July's film depicts the quirkiness and clumsiness of those who are, as Conrad put it, about to cross the "twilight between youth and maturity", struggling with their call to adult life (in the form of parenthood, career, responsibility).

Although it speaks about a universal topic, there are many hints in the movie that point to our current generation. One for instance: accumulating whatever mundane knowledge on the internet, instead of sitting still and trying to think. So noughties.

I don't want to say more. If you are, let's say, in your mid 30s, urbanite, have studied liberal arts, and still struggle (or even better: wait) to define yourself, please watch this movie. You will find a part of yourself, and part of the answer to your questions.

"The time-warping part is fantasticated right before Sophie's intending confession as Jason refuses her to do so by squarely stopping the time, and in a paralleled universe, Sophie vividly experiences her new bourgeois life with Marshall, until she is jolted back to her past by the presence of 'shirty', her favorite mustard t-shirt now becomes an ambulatory costume and creepily slithers into her bedroom."

read my full review on my blog: cinema omnivore, thanks