Blue Jay

The Orchard, Netflix

Almost through sheer force of will the Duplass brothers have cultivated near myth-like status in the indie film community. Starting with their success with their film The Puffy Chair, they have since become well-known comedic television actors (The League, Transparent, The Mindy Project), directors, and creators of a production company that has released such winners as Adult Beginners, The Skeleton Twins, and Tangerine. This film is written by and starring Mark Duplass in one of his most devastatingly raw performances to date. Sarah Paulson co-stars in an equally amazing capacity, and the director is newcomer (and former cameraman) Alex Lehmann. Small in scope, but brutally honest about the depth of young love, this is a film that deserves all the adoration it has gotten.

This is a perfect example of the introspection that independent film can offer over larger productions. Amanda (Paulson) and Jim (Duplass) live in their own pulsating and intimate world that very few are allowed to be a part of. The only other major figure in the film is a store owner that recognizes them after twenty or so years, played by old Western star Clu Gulager. Once a couple who didn’t have any cares in the world, and operated under the belief that they could play house without consequence, they now have homes, and families, and lives outside of their former playacting. The film is also shot entirely in black and white, which I generally question but here it assuredly grounds the characters and creates a magical nostalgia that cannot be overstated.

Lehmann understands contrast like few independent directors do, and utilizes it in the best of ways. Like many other Duplass productions there wasn’t a script, but instead a summary given to the leads as they improvised. The only hint of this production process comes when they play tapes from when they were younger, because they are so ambivalent and slapdash. Otherwise, I could never have guessed that the heartbreakingly intimate moments between these two weren’t thought out months ahead of time. Paulson and Duplass have an electric and secure chemistry that carries throughout the film. This film was also shot in seven days, which is unheard of, and does not show in the finished result. Though this film isn’t revolutionary in plot or production, it is one of the most interesting and earnest films of last year.