Jul
27
I hadn’t heard the term mumblecore until just recently. Considering the Wikipedia definition of the filmmaking style, it appears that I should be more than a little familiar with it, as I’ve made a couple shorts that could easily be described as mumblecore. The term sounds like a pejorative, though. Mumblecore filmmakers are simply using cost-effective approaches to storytelling, like guerilla filmmakers have for decades. It’s easier now with DV cameras are living in a town lousy with out-of-work actors. That reminds me. I really need to get on the ball and make a movie-film.
This afternoon, I saw the Duplass Brothers’ “Baghead.” It’s a mumblecore film about four aspiring actors that hole up in a cabin for the weekend to write a movie that will star them. There’s doughy Chad (Steve Zissis), bohunk Matt (Ross Partridge), pixie-like Michelle (Greta Gerwig) and model-quality Catherine (Elise Muller). Chad’s in love with Michelle, but Michelle likes Matt, and Matt used to date Catherine. What’s more, they’re being stalked by some lunatic wearing a paper grocery sack on his head.
I like scripts that are partially improvised. Coming from someone who’s a writer, I guess that may sound weird to you. But solid actors can be more than just mouthpieces for scripted dialogue. Sometimes you discover things in the moment that aren’t on the page. At any rate, the script for “Baghead” seems like it’s more of a jumping off point than a to-do list. I think the performances in the film really have a life and energy that would’ve been lacking had the actors been slaves to a standard indie dramedy dialogue. There are just so many great little nuances that sound authentic, fragmented speeches and conversations that don’t quite go anywhere. None of it is “mumbled” or inaudible, either, like what you’d expect from something that’s been dubbed mumblecore.
Is “Baghead” scary? Well, I don’t want to give too much away in regards to the horror elements. The movie definitely spends more time on the relationships than on the stalk-and-slash. When it becomes clear to the four character that there’s someone else in the woods, someone who’s really stalking them and not playing a game, the movie is more gripping than your average dead teenager flick. You’re invested in these characters and want to see them make it out of there alive.
I liked “Baghead.” It’s a fun little genre-bending indie, the kind of movie that inspires you to grab a camera, grab some friends and make a mumblecore film of your own. Just make sure everyone speaks up, so the audience can hear.
-Brad Lohan
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