Me and You and Everyone We Know

i had the supreme pleasure of seeing this film last night as the grand opener of the seattle international film festival. (this was the first time in the 31 year span of the festival that the opener was directed by a woman!) i loved it! contrary to some previous comments, i found the writing and the approach to the subject matter very adult. a less mature screenwriter could have too easily fallen into a dour and pessimistic mood given the subject matter, especially the instances of desires pedophilia and families torn apart. i think it takes a remarkable, mature writer and director to take these themes and turn them into a heart-warming piece of work rather than just another fatalistic, world-hating film.

the performances were stellar across the board. every character was completely fleshed out and truly human. i think that's what struck me the most about this film, the complete humanity of it. the title is apt, it really is a universal story of you and me and everyone we know. the comedy didn't have to be forced, it was funny because we could all identify and sympathize with the awkwardness of life.

i'd love to see more out of miranda july to this caliber. this was a huge feat for a first feature, but i have a lot of hope and faith in her talents for the future.

This movie is about people trying to connect with each other, told in a very sweet, original way. It is quirky, beautiful, honest, and hilarious. The film follows the lives and dreams of many truly memorable characters, from the adorable and fascinating children to the adults with all their idiosyncrasies. I couldn't stop thinking about it the day after I saw it. I kept reliving the scenes in my head, and smiling.

I am so happy to have discovered Miranda July. Not only did she write, direct, and star in this film... she is also a performance artist, has released music CDs, and is planning on releasing a book of short stories next.

I'd recommend watching the trailer if you're curious. It definitely gives you a flavor of the film. If you like it, go see the movie, and you may fall in love, too.

After you see it, check out the movie website (http://www.meandyoumovie.com/) and Miranda's website (http://www.mirandajuly.com/) for more great stuff.

I was fortunate enough to see this at the IFC screening a couple of nights ago, and it was truly one of the most refreshing and genuinely enjoyable films I have seen in a long time. It reminded me of an artsier, less commercial Garden State with a female protagonist. And unlike Garden State (which is still a great film), it captured those random, lovely, hard-to-put-into-words bits of human emotion without having to try as hard.

Two very pleasant surprises were the young actors who played the shoe salesmen's sons, more specifically, the six-year-old. I won't spoil the movie for any of you who are planning on seeing it, but the scenes involving the kids on the computer is priceless - it's going to have me laughing for a few years, I think.

I was disappointed that Miranda July did not stay for the entire screening because I would have loved to congratulate her on such an amazing movie. I hope she gets the recognition she deserves!

I really loved this film! All the way from the beginning it surprised me at every scene, it was very funny and did not try to overdo its humor, and the characters are unforgettable. To be honest, so many expressions and individual ideas that are conveyed in this movie through its characters, it's kind of hard to pin point what I loved most. It is a sexual film, probably not suitable for the young, but it portrays people as they are, something that we find awkward and strange in this movie - they all exist around us in real life and this film is not afraid to show it. Ultimately we all look for love. In this film, even the strange moments are romantic.

The main reason that films can grab us and last is not because of characters or situations, or story. Yes, those are the things we see and grab, but if the film doesn't spin an engaging world, there'll be nothing worth grabbing.

Now here's a case where the world this filmmaker creates is so wonderful, we want to grab everything. Its incoherent, a set of vignettes, but all coherently placed to circumnavigate this wonderful set of dynamics.

Its a world where bad things exist but don't cut deeply. Where innocence penetrates reality. Where fate applies but is seen. Where art exists but only as pretense for life. Where communication always has a sparkle of wonder. Where age is irrelevant and hope is always privately platformed without dependence.

A dear friend brought me to "I've Heard the Mermaids Singing." This is a dear friend and I sincerely tried to dissolve myself in the world of the thing. But the cracks didn't line up, and my being and that world couldn't interpenetrate. It think it is purely a matter of skill, in knowing how to discard the things that get in the way. This does, this film here.

The woman behind this film is admirable. By that I mean she is to be admired for knowing enough about us to find the things that disturbingly endear. And I admire her for finding a place for herself in how this is presented to us. Its all so perfect that we have to assume that there is a deep selfawareness in her, as deep as her intuitions are.

I hope to see more of her. I think we can trust her with large bits of ourselves.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.