Mumblecore Season at Tyneside Cinema

By admin on June 8, 2010 in Film

While the independent American film movement known as mumblecore is often accused of being overly twee and sentimental, few can deny the subtle power it wielded in helping revive a rapidly declining US indie scene.

Helmed by a loose collective of writers, directors and actors, the ultra-low budget, semi-improvised films follow the awkward lives of a bunch of twentysomethings in the vague pursuit of happiness and contentment.

Celebrating the mundanity of daily life, the lo-fi pictures are stuffed with neuroticism and Noir-esque dark humour; the characters played by non-professional actors not unlike Larry David… were he forty years younger and significantly lighter in the wealth stakes.

Beginning this Friday the Tyneside Cinema will be curating a short season of some of the movement’s highlights to mark the release of indie comedy Greenberg (above). Although strictly not a mumblecore film itself (it stars Ben Stiller and probably cost more than $50 to make) its genesis is most definitely in the genre by starring the incredibly talented mublecore poster girl Greta Gerwig (pictured) and written and directed by Noah Baumbach, creator of cult indie hit The Squid and the Whale.

The films showing over the week include Beeswax (Friday 11 Jume), a film exploring the awkward moments between friends, families and lovers; In Seach of a Midnight Kiss (Monday 14 June), a beautiful monochrome comedy about finding love online; Humpday (Tuesday 15 June), a faintly hilarious tale of two male friends attempting to make an amateur porn movie, and Hannah Takes The Stairs (Thursday 17 June), a touching look at the futile pursuit of true happiness.

Greenberg at Tyneside Cinema

Garth Marenghi @ The Tyneside Cinema (Sort Of)

Four Hour Film Challenge ‘geet hard’

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