Generation Um...

I love Keanu Reeves. And *spoiler alert* I felt the ending of the movie might be the beginning of the movie. I started over. It wasn't. Costumes were different. Only in the relevance that one day isn't much different from the next. But while taking place, it seemed that a guy annoyed with two hot but skanky chicks decided to take an interest in them after stealing a video camera. And his documentary of them was insightful. But he knew them all along. The only person surprised a the ending was me. And maybe you.

Initially after watching I was confused as I could not understand what was happening to the characters in the movie. Once I finished the movie, it began to make sense. I was surprised. This is not a movie that one understands initially after viewing. It is like peeling an onion. After watching the movie twice, I have learned a bit more about the what the symbolism means. Each member of this pseudo family reveals a little bit more about themselves, which takes time to develop. The director and the actors are patient as the undertones of the movie are revealed one by one. It is through this patience that one learns of the real issues that face each member of this cast.

What is the movie about? It's about loneliness in a crowd, probably. About pain. About hope. About proximity. The movie is about just one day, and about the whole life. It's as little as very much at the same time. The movie starts and ends same — the three friends come home from work. But the things that occurred during the day changing their attitude to themselves and to their own lives. They learn to trust. John has the rare talent to ask short questions and to listen carefully. It turns out to be very important, when you just listen and don't teach, don't advise, don't bring something up. John starts video taping as entertainment and ends up as a confession. And confession always clears the soul. Mark Mann shot a very intimate movie, and brought the viewer completely into the world where Mia, Violet and John live. This world isn't joyful and it isn't sad. It's real. The movie is for those who appreciate sincerity on the screen and who aren't afraid to pass others pain through themselves. It's for those who try to understand people living behind the standard morals. The favorite dialog in the movie is: - Just don't hate me because I'm beautiful. - I don't hate you. I'm just confused. Favorite shot: is the park water fountain.

If I could give it a 6.5, I would. While it was not hugely captivating, it did hold my attention.

First of all, one of the best things about the movie is that it appears to be an independent film. What that means to me is that you will not have to suffer through all the trite Hollywood-isms like the boy risking his life for the girl of his dreams.

I will say that if you do not like dialog driven movies, this is not the movie for you. Nothing 'happens'. In fact, there isn't even much dialog. But, the content was fresh and cohesive. I think the acting/actions and cinematography carry the movie adequately enough that I never feel myself urging to hit the fast forward or stop button. Oddly enough, I do not recall if there was any soundtrack music. If there was, it blended in well enough as not to be a distraction.

Of major importance is the fact the the acting was good enough that at no point in the movie was I reminded that I am watching an actor. You know how in Django, every time Jamie Fox said something, you were reminded that he is an actor from the 21st century. To me, that ruins the movie experience. Some one is going to say, 'Every time I watch Keaneau Reeves, I think of "Bill and Ted."' To that I can only say, "Every time I hear Sean Connery talk, I think of James Bond. Every time I hear Robert DeNiro talk, I think of Taxi. Every time I hear Al Pacino talk, I think of Scarface. Yet these are all actors who are never criticized for being one-denominational" My point is, there are chameleon actors, and there aren't. The bulk of the actors out there aren't like Gary Oldman, who reinvents himself every movie.

Moving on, the last thing I have to say about the movie is that the ending was awesome. I can't say much more without spoiling it. I love when a movie forces me to re-frame events. Well done.

If I had to categorize the movie, then I would use the key words 'psychological drama'.

Low user ratings are to be expected when the names of Keanu and Bojana fuel edge-of-your-seat anticipation. This however documents (partly videotaped by Keanu's character) a 24 hour stretch in the lives of three people who are beyond clueless, they don't even care if there is such a thing as clue, purpose or direction in life. They don't even bother to define the relationships amongst the 3 of them. They don't even care to find words to describe their feelings and their lack of any accomplishment gives new meaning to the word void. I do believe this to be a socially relevant document of the lives of some of the 20- or 30-something generation who are one level below the entitled ones. It's there, it's real, no comedy nor drama, but it did powerfully communicate awareness to me as a viewer.