Uncle Kent

White people really just turn on a camera and call it a movie, eh?

Essential mumblecore. A film about a real person doing bongs, chat roulette, and also making films and cartoons and talking about nothing and everything that a turning-40 year old would care about.

I can't tell whether its because my cinematic taste has changed so much in the past three years or if Joe Swanberg really has regressed considerably since Alexander the Last (probably both). Certainly he's not really exploring any new territory he didn't already cover in earlier films like LOL and Kissing on the Mouth, and on an aesthetic level this might be one of the most worthless films ever. Sure there is a degree of "truthfulness" here, but no more than in an average episode of Peep Show.

So lo-fi, even for mumblecore, that I kind of feel guilty for not appreciating far more technically invested films as much. Undoubtedly, Swanberg and Obsorne have captured some of the essence, the hopes and frustrations and dilemmas, of being a single guy at 40, and they do this subtly and with a light touch, never shouting it at you. I don't mind the shabby camerawork and barely adequate lighting so much, but the crappy sound is one thing that hurt this for me. I want to hear the dialogue.

It's not devoid of merit and it feels accurate, but Swanberg's "twee niceguyism" is actually more misogynist than it isn't. It's like Kentucker Audley but with stupid "straight+white+male" illuminations about sex and relationships. Truthful at times, but infuriating at others.