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Beeswax
Starring: Tilly Hatcher, Maggie Hatcher, Alex Karpovsky, Katy O'Connor
Directed by: Andrew Bujalski
Produced
by:
Dia Sokol, Ethan Vogt
Written
by: Andrew Bujalski
Distributor: The Cinema Guild |
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As seen at the 2009
SXSW Film Festival:
Beeswax represents my first
encounter with the work of writer/director Andrew Bujalski,
whose previous features Funny Ha Ha and Mutual
Appreciation are lauded in indie film-geek circles but
unseen everywhere else. While I liked the film better than those
of fellow mumblecore (read: insufferable) filmmakers,
particularly Bujalski’s bud Joe Swanberg, I can’t say I respond
to these guys’ style in the least. No, I’m not bothered by the
lack of a linear narrative, but I’d like something to latch onto
beyond general ideas. In fact, that’s all Beeswax, the
tale of an Austin paraplegic (Tilly Hatcher) who finds herself
involved in a potential legal battle with the co-owner of her
vintage clothing store, is about: general ideas. While nuanced
and believable, the characters lack empathy—if my description of
protagonist Jeannie seems uninviting, wait ‘til you meet her
sister Lauren (Maggie Hatcher) or vague love-interest Merill
(Alex Karpovsky)—and because of this, the film becomes more of
an examination of humanness rather than a work of humanness
itself. While there’s nothing wrong with this idea in theory, in
practice it results in a film that fails to engage. Yes, there
are several themes in Beeswax that should stir up
discussion, namely those related to its timely commentary on
small business and how Jeannie’s disability affects her daily
life, but they don’t carry any gravitas because the film is
painfully detached on the whole. It’s hard to fault anything but
the film’s conceptual framework for this, as the performances
are as authentic and accurate to the script as they could be,
the subject is topical, and the tech credits are solid given
budgetary constraints. Beeswax has a lot of good
qualities indeed, but they fail to overcome a flawed inception.
-Danny Baldwin,
Bucket Reviews
Review Published
on: 3.19.2009
Screened on:
3.14.2009 at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX.
Beeswax is Not Rated and runs 100
minutes.
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