Mutual Appreciation
Directed by Andrew Bujalski
There is a distinct feeling in Mutual Appreciation that the film’s story is based on an actual events. The second feature film from 31-year-old Bostonian director Andrew Bujalski is a glimpse of post-college malaise. The characters aren’t suffering from grandiose life-or-death problems, but rather the everyday issues that a thirtysomething sporting black-rimmed glasses and shaggy hair might have.
To say that this film wears its indie aesthetic on its sleeve is an understatement. Shot on 16mm in black and white, the director uses a cast of complete unknowns. They are, in fact, his friends and fellow filmmakers. If anything, this helps create an air of familiarity in the film that makes it feel incredibly real. The dialogue that Andrew Bujalski has written is so casual and unforced that Mutual Appreciation could almost be a documentary.
The film centers on Alan, a thin and perpetually hunched-over singer/guitarist who has just moved to New York City in search of a drummer and a serious career boost. However, this plot is merely a way to bring characters together to talk about their lives. The film opens on Alan and Ellie lying on a bed, talking about someone they know who is vegetarian and needs to see a doctor. Or something. It doesn’t really matter what they’re talking about here. Nor does it seem to matter in most other scenes, either. Rather, the film puts its focus on how the characters interact with each other. The most important dialogue is often left unspoken.
For instance, in this opening scene, it is instantly clear that Alan and Ellie have a connection. Too bad her boyfriend walks in (played by Bujalski himself). This scene acts as a microcosm of the entire film, with Alan and Ellie continuously engaging in near-flirtation, creating excuses to talk and be closer.
Mutual Appreciation is about all the small choices that people make in life. Nothing big. Nothing overwrought. Just those little choices that seem to shape our entire lives.
Rating: VVVV
