The Future

I was excitedly waiting for this film to appear in the cozy theater in my town. I really enjoyed Me and You and Everyone We Know. When I saw the trailer for The Future I thought the character Sophie is very similar to Christine in the previous film. The feeling of both films are very similar and I say that as a compliment; it gives Miranda July her own unique voice in film.

When I watched the film I regretted having seen the trailer, as it gave away a lot of the key points in the story. I think this is a very good film portraying relationships between couples. I could see a lot of symbols in the film pointing at the gender stereotypes everyone is affected by as being part of a patriarchal society. I like the concept of the cat representing the union of the two people, and how Miranda shows pets in relation to the other couples in the story to show whether or not their relationship survived/withstood time. I think this film provokes thoughts and is meant to make people reflect about their relationships with others. It shows that miscommunication, fear of confrontation, fear of being ourselves, is what breaks relationships. He cannot love her if he doesn't love himself. She cannot love him if she doesn't love herself. We can't have decent relationships when we're not being honest with ourselves. Being honest with another person, loving the other person, comes second to being honest and loving yourself.

I don't understand why this film has so many negative comments in the reviews. I truly enjoyed this and hope to see Miranda continue with more projects.

Hmmm...the summary title says it all. Not quite sure what this film is saying or trying to stimulate you into thinking about: lack of purpose in modern life, the small actions on which lasting love lives or dies, how much of ourselves do we show to each other, emotional paralysis in an atomised first world, the value of human connection above all else, is man designed to run on any other fuel than god, artistic frustration and how beautiful creation can take place as much in your living room as the main stage at the Met, people looking for a place in a senseless world instead of just getting on and helping people... On the downside the dialogue and some of the acting is of the low-burn, snail pace that can destroy any sense of mood or tension...but on the upside there are perhaps 10 moments of absolute beauty, each worth admission alone, and Miranda July is an open wound of a screen presence. And I'm still thinking about the end and all the bits in between. Personally I'm prepared to be slightly confused when I come out highly affected and thinking...

An odd-duck couple who have had plenty of years to be married (read: get bored) and far too much time on their hands decide to adopt a cat. They can't pick it up for a month because it's undergoing some medical treatments, and they're warned that if they fail to arrive on the designated date the cat will be euthanized. The prospect of that last month of freedom before they make a commitment to something other than themselves opens up a fissure in their lives and threatens to destroy a complacency they had begun to take for granted.

The fact that adopting a cat counts in their lives as a commitment great enough to alter their lives forever should tell you a little something about the personalities of these main characters, and if we end up being fed up with both of them, and her especially, I think we're meant to. It's nearly impossible to sympathize with people whose lives are basically so cushy that taking on a pet takes on the momentous proportions of a major life event -- but then I think of my own life, and how good I basically have it, and how good even the most average American basically has it, and how most of my problems would seem pretty petty to a lot of other people out there in the world, and realize that maybe what annoys me about these characters are the qualities I see in them that most annoy me about myself.

"The Future" I think is a cautionary tale about what happens to people when they spend all of their lives worrying about what their lives could be instead of accepting what their lives actually are. At some point, everyone gets to an age where he or she has to simply commit to SOMETHING, whether it be another person, a child, a cause, a pet, a life path, a career. Whatever it is, they have to make a conscious choice to make the best of what they have and stop worrying about what could have been. Easier said than done, probably, or many many people would be much happier.

I liked "The Future" well enough while I was watching it, but I can't say it really stuck with me. Miranda July has an off-beat writing and directorial (not to mention acting) style that will probably turn off some. I'm o.k. with it, and I must say that for once it was refreshing to see a movie in which it's the female rather than the male who does a worse job of dealing with a mid-life crisis. Thank you Ms. July for equaling the playing field a bit.

Grade: B

An odd film seemingly about a couple, Jason and Sophie who are stuck in a relationship going nowhere

They lead a samey existence and reach a crossroads in their relationship. Just before this point they help an old stray cat, unsure whether they will be together to look after the cat the rest of its life they eventually decide they will adopt it and promise to return in 30 days.

Jason quits his job as a phone based IT support to educate the public of environmental issues disguised as tree selling. Sophie randomly find the telephone number of a man on the reverse of a painting and makes contact.

Jason finds an older guy who finds purpose in his life selling objects. Sophie discovers the restrictions of a suburban lifestyle.

Throughout this is the story of Paw Paw, the cat. A cat happy with his lot but then for the first time ever has discovered the human touch. Paw Paw is careful not to show too much to the humans but inside is ready for this move, indeed it seems it has been waiting it's whole life for someone to pick it up and want to care, and play and love this cat.

I went into this film with low expectations because it seemed as though it would be just another film full of contrived quirks and gratuitous plot twists meant to seem original, and while my husband is a full-force Miranda July fan, I can take or leave her work.

But I was floored by how good it was. Perhaps due in part to my lower expectations. But I thought it was touching and poignant - and very funny (the whole theater laughed out loud a few times). I cried at the beginning, and I cried (sobbed, really, while having to cover my mouth to mute myself) at the end. I really enjoyed July and Hamish Linklater; especially Linklater, who seemed like a more accessible character while July still bordered on the wide-eyed, "unique" indie-chick stereotype. Though she did break through that enough moments in the film for me to enjoy her character. The cat monologues that I had cringed at when I read about them prior to seeing the film actually worked quite well for me.

I don't think this is a movie I'll re-watch often in The Future, but it's definitely one I think people should see at least once or twice.