Customer Reviews

Beeswax

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Jeannie is the co-owner of a vintage clothing store; she also happens to be in a wheelchair. Frustrated by her co-owner's lack of participation in the day-to-day operations of the store, she has reason to suspect that some of the frustration is mutual, and that there may be a lawsuit in the offing. Jeannie's twin sister, Lauren, is flighty and non-committal in both her career and in her relationships, but is able to provide an emotional anchor for Jeannie. Meanwhile, Jeannie connects up with her old boyfriend, who is nearing completion of his law degree, at least in part because he can provide advice, but maybe in search of something else as well. This is a difficult film to summarize in a few lines, but develops into a rich and quite satisfying portrait of two sisters as they deal with family, relationships, business, and career; it also manages to be a profound and subtle exploration of the ambiguities of language and the conflicts between the tacit commitments that inform our interactions with those around us, and the explicit contracts that undergird the law.

I think it's unfortunate that the film hasn't found a wider audience, and part of the problem may be that Bujalski's films are often associated with the do-it-yourself slacker genre sometimes designated "mumblecore." While there are certainly affinities between Bujalski's films and those of the Duplass Brothers or of Joe Swanberg or Aaron Katz, it's a bit too easy and inaccurate to lump all of their films together as chatty films about less than fully articulate 20-somethings, to whom nothing much momentous happens. If there is anything that the various works labeled "mumblecore" have in common, it strikes me as less interesting than where they differ, but in the case of this film in particular, the expectations generated by that designation are wildly off the mark. Beeswax is closer in spirit and genre to films by Eric Rohmer or by David Gordon Green (especially All the Real Girls) or by Noah Baumbach, such as Kicking & Screaming and Margot at the Wedding (but on a slightly smaller scale and with non-actors rather than stars underplaying their fame). I'd be tempted to try and promote the film as one of the most honest and valuable portrayals of a person with a disability, since this is, above all, a film about Jeannie - but that rings false because what is special about that aspect of the film is that it is never made an issue, and Jeannie is not treated by any of the characters as "disabled." What adds to the interest is that Jeannie is a twin and her wheelchair appears as just one, and probably not the most significant, of many features that differentiates her from her sister. Jeannie's wheelchair is very much there, and the film makes very clear ways in which it affects her life, both in the public sphere and in private moments of intimacy, but no one needs to bring it up or discuss it - it is a part of who she is and is on display and so doesn't need to be explained or discussed. Beeswax may be unique -- at the very least it is rare and certainly to be appreciated -- as a film centered on a character in a wheelchair that is not really at all about her being in a wheelchair.

Beeswax is a beautiful looking film, with a clarity and warmth that seemed to be deliberately avoided in the more scruffy-looking Funny Ha Ha (also in color) and Mutual Appreciation (in black and white, appropriate to its deadpan comedy style). The opening and closing titles are set against a backdrop of a colorful pastel paper montage, and the many colors give an indication of the rich and varied palette from which the film draws. The colors of the film are warm and vibrant, evoking the almost expressionistic feel of, say, early Technicolor films, but at the same time feeling very much real and alive: both colors of the actual world and of the emotional life of the twin sisters. Unlike many of his counterparts in the arena of independent film making, Bujalski continues to shoot on film, rather than video -- and there is a big payoff in the look of his films -- in this case on super-16 for a wider screen than in his previous films, that was blown up to 35mm for its theatrical screenings. (One bonus feature that comes with the dvd, at least for now in its first printing, is a genuine piece of the original super-16 footage!)

In all of his three films so far, Andrew Bujalski organized the script around one or two actual people, who'd had little to no actual experience as actors but are able in his stories to impart a real underpinning in the authenticity of their mannerisms and voice. What is remarkable is the way in which none of the characters come across as acting, but it doesn't feel like improvisation either. Bujalski has a delicate ear for the rhythms of real speech, and manages to deliver highly structured works in which the structure is not apparent but becomes clear only on a second or third viewing. His work has been compared with the early films of Cassavettes, and I think there is some justice in the comparison, but it is not entirely accurate insofar as the honesty of the performances comes across not in the raw and unfiltered expressions of feeling but in the ways in which feelings go unexpressed and are betrayed in other, more subtle ways. If, in Funny Ha Ha and Mutual Appreciation, the characters tended to be working towards a certain kind of clarity about themselves that only gradually coalesced, the emphasis here is on ways in which characters tend to be deliberately reticent, hesitant to commit themselves where there is uncertainty about reciprocation but also a much greater degree of clarity about what is at stake. Highly recommended.

It breathes, it palpitates, it moves at the speed of life. An absolute masterpiece of the new naturalism (I'd rather not call it mumblecore). I can't improve on the excellent lead review but must say that I don't know why so many intelligent people find this kind of indie--the kind that captures the texture of real life--so boring or pointless. This film makes you realize how set-up and sexed-up almost everything else is. I don't mean that it is utterly free of contrivance but that there is a quality of immediacy that allows for a more living intimacy.

Seeing a great film like this makes me realize what a tired pile of bombastic clichés so many other films are. Beeswax draws you in with lives that seem absolutely real and keeps you around with tenderness and wit. A gem.

By the time the movie Chop Shop ended I wanted to move to New York and befriend writer/director Ramin Bahrani, simply because his movie was so good and made me feel so much. I thought that would be a one-of-a-kind reaction, but the moment writer/director Andrew Bujalski's third feature, Beeswax, ended, I was looking around online, trying to find his contact info.

I gave up on that quickly, instead opting to start the movie over from the beginning. If you've seen Bujalski's other works, you know what to expect: artfully told - and small - stories that feel very authentic. Beeswax, even more than his other films, feels very, very real. And while the story is simple, there's so much nuance in the performances and production style that you feel as if you've seen some grand tale unfold.

So, the story. Two twin twenty-something sisters living in the city of Austin, Texas work their way through two very different struggles. Jeannie (played by Tilly Hatcher) is an overachieving boutique clothing/thrift store owner who is worried that her business partner, Corinne (Katy O'Connor), is planning to sue her; all along she spends time with Merrill (Alex Karpovsky), her on-again love who attempts at every turn to help her through her legal woes. Jeannie's sister, Lauren (Maggie Hatcher), is kinda/sorta looking for work and, more or less, just sort of breezing through life - hanging out, getting high and just being all around socially pleasant and fun. We get the impression that Lauren's only real concern (aside from maybe money) is her need to be around for her sister, who, in addition to having problems at work, is a paraplegic young woman with much stress in her life. Both sisters are incredibly kind and soulful people who I came to love through the movie - especially Jeannie. (Also, both of the sisters are absolute knockouts who resemble Juliette Binoche, which can only be a good thing.)

I won't say too much more about the story, aside from mentioning that, at most times, you simply feel like you're hanging out with the sisters and Merrill, who, despite tense times, seem to almost always be enjoying themselves - joking and teasing each other in loving ways. The dialogue never feels too much like a movie and the story just sort of falls into place - less a framework than it is a reason to talk. All that said, Bujalski's script is wonderful, and brought to life very well by the solid, very natural cast.

I kept thinking that, at some point, I'd feel the wear of Bujalski's style-over-substance approach, as this was my experience with his other two movies (which are both worth checking out). Didn't happen. Not even close. I was very into the story of the two sisters at every moment, not so much caring about where the story was going as I was excited to see what I'd learn next about these girls and their world.

And then there's the end. Ohhhhhhh what an ending. I won't say a peep, other than that it was the very rare conclusion that had me simultaneously screaming, shouting, howling and smiling. It was, in a word, perfect. Major, major kudos to Bujalski, his crew and the Hatcher sisters. Great, great work all around; okay, time for a third viewing!

Beeswax is a poignant study of people, their relationships, and the paradoxically fascinatingly mundane character of life in a small pocket of modern America- Austin, Texas. It is a beautifully shot film, a film of rich, contrasting colours, a deceptively simple film. At its centre is the relationship between twin sisters Jeannie and Lauren, with phenomenal performances by real-life twin sisters (and newcomers) Tilly and Maggie Hatcher. The way their relationship plays out onscreen is mesmerising in so many ways. It is simply there, never overacted, never overemphasised, just there. The sisters have refreshingly open faces and deeply expressive eyes. Jeannie's relationship with her law student ex-boyfriend Merrill (Alex Karpovsky) is also wonderfully conveyed. Another element of the film I found compelling was its almost complete absence of music, both as an external soundtrack and within the world of the film. This strangely enough gave the film's characters a strong presence- I felt like I was more focussed on their gestures, their facial expressions and the subtleties of their interactions than I would have been if a soundtrack had been playing. It made the film more realistic and identifiable. A remarkable film.

Rent or buy this film -- I was absorbed in it right away. The director creates a whole world that feels so real. The director
/writer explores human relationships in a rich but subtle way.

What is so unique or creative about a second hand store; hand held cameras; really stilted line-by-line acting; and a story about poor interrelationships? Well, nothing so you can put this movie on the shelf with similar cast off stuff. The most important indicator of the invested quality of this production is that despite a prominent role of a person with a disability the producers failed to put subtitles for the hard of hearing or English limited. I guess special needs is something that helps to sell movies but too costly to add to production expenses.