I didn't see as many movies as I should have this past year, but the one that I liked best was BEESWAX, Andrew Bujalski's third feature film about... I'm not sure any description would make you want to run out and see it (I don't know if you could find it if you tried - at the bottom of this page I've posted theatres its opening at throughout February, none in the North East - maybe download it, it comes out on DVD in April).
What I LIKED about the film were the performances Mr. Bujalski got out of his actors. Just to use an example, a film like BROKEN EMBRACES is great, but the performance that one gets out of a trained actor will nearly always be less authentic than one out of a non-actor. For the most part, Mr. Bujalski works with non-actors. And if the people have acted before, it's been in films LIKE his own.
"Beeswax" is subtle like a Raymond Carver short story, except more fun. You watch each scene, studying the speech, looking for clues, trying to determine WHAT the people on screen are thinking. You often have no IDEA what these characters are up to - the miracle is that Mr. Bujalski is always determined to let everyone on screen act like a human being.
The film is about a pair of twin sisters. One is thinking about teaching English as a 2nd Language abroad, and the other owns a vintage clothing store and is on the verge of being sued by her co-owner. Mr. Bujalski has said in interviews that this film was difficult to write as it required a great deal of exposition, but his films are always just about people talking anyway, so it was kind of funny to read that.
The secret to BEESWAX's success, and the reason that it is difficult from every other film released this year (that I've seen), is that Mr. Bujalski's agenda is known to no one and yet simultaneously everything seems so mundane, so ordinary, so everyday. When Mr. Bujalski refuses to explain what the title BEESWAX means, he says that he thought the meaning was obvious, but when people started asking, he decided it was more interesting to not explain it.
Mr. Bujalski's previous film, the excellent MUTUAL APPRECIATION, seemed equally mysterious upon first viewing - but upon second viewing became a great indictment of human nature and went from being a fairly light comedy to a rather bleak view of humanity, or at least a foreboding one.
I don't know if additional analysis of BEESWAX will yield such answers. I think that Mr. Bujalski has learned his lesson and nothing will slip through the cracks this time. It's worth mentioning that I laughed harder during BEESWAX than I did any film this year. Naively, I thought BEESWAX would be Mr. Bujalski's first film to really expand and get a big audience - but it's been doing the usual roadshow through the country. I know it must be frustrating for him, but as long as he keeps getting just enough money to make these small, subtle, interesting films, the cinema is better for it. Many a great filmmaker has been ruined by success. I don't think success could ruin Andrew Bujalski, but if he stopped making these types of films, I think my heart would break (just a little bit).
Here's where it's playing in the future if you're near these places:
JANUARY 2010
January 26, 2010 - Real Pizza Cinerama, Bar Harbor, ME
January 26, 2010 - Tropic Cinema, Key West, FL
(That's Andrew Bujalski on the RIGHT ---->)
FEBRUARY 2010
February 5, 2009 - Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, IL
February 5, 2009 - Capital Theater, Olympia, WA
February 12, 2009 - The Screen, Santa Fe, NM
February 12, 2009 - Angelika Film Center, Dallas, TX
February 19, 2009 - UW-M Union Theatre, Milwaukee, WI
February 26, 2009 - Zinema Two, Duluth, MN
