Easy
Netflix
If you know anything about the mumblecore movement, then you know the name Joe Swanberg. He has found a certain brand of fame among the youth of the past ten years, and has been especially prominent since the films “Drinking Buddies” and “Happy Christmas” hit Netflix in the past four years. He has a certain crew that usually works with him, including Jake Johnson, Rosemarie DeWitt, Ron Livingston, Anna Kendrick, and many more. His films tend to deal with relationship issues, fears of the nuclear family, and the freedom of artistic expression. His films are often heavily improvised and barely have a script, which Swanberg believes lends to finding better motivation for his characters and creates an enhanced experience for the audience as well as the actors.
In this new project for Netflix; Swanberg sets the stage in Chicago and looks at several different sets of characters in an anthology set-up, with some overlap between many different vignettes. The first four episodes deal with issues in relationships, from trying to have sex when you’ve been married forever, to trying to be more like your new partner so they stick around, to infidelity, and on the less romantic side, starting a small business with your brother. The tone of the show is much in keeping with his films, just shortened down from ninety minutes to thirty. The exact same style of filmmaking is utilized for the show, so it comes off feeling attuned to the actors that Swanberg chooses.
The most integral aspect of Swanberg’s process is the casting, and everyone he cast is perfect. Some of my favorite character actors are in these episodes, including Jane Adams from “Happiness” and Hung, Michael Chernus from Orange is the New Black, Aya Cash from You’re the Worst, and Kiersey Clemons from Transparent. Each one of these actors creates such a unique presence onscreen that you’re immediately sucked in. Whether you watch the episode on being middle aged and married, or the one completely in Spanish that is centered on a love triangle, there’s something for everyone.
What needs a bit of work is the flow of the episodes. While the first five feel complete in their honesty and breadth, the later episodes don’t add as much to the narrative. In one episode we meet a British expat who is trying to get a role on a television show during a break-up andher story is interrupted by a former character remerging, leaving the entire vignette half-finished. The last episode sees two brothers start their brewery, which was already fully covered in a similar episode earlier in the season. While this episode did expand the story, and covered a different point of view, it feels like a half-hearted stab at continuing a previous storyline. If the story can’t be better continued, maybe leave is for season 2 where these characters can be better explored and their motivations made clear. Other than that the episodes feel fresh, the direction and writing reveal much about human interaction and relationships, and while it’s not exactly new in concept, the show deals with these issues on a newer platform, in a new anthology structure.
