With "The Future" being released July 29th, I saw a special screening of it a few days ago to review.
What can I say about this surreal take on two people living in LA. The movie is strange and quirky, but in a good way. There's time travel or should I say time-stopping. A cat that gives off a David Lynch like style to me and some inspirational dance. Not to get ahead of myself it's mainly the relationship between two people, Sophie and Jason. They decide to give up on their crappy jobs and do whatever they want for a month. This leads down a road that easily could have been a romantic comedy to surreal break down of humanity in the modern age.
The movie takes a good look at our modern society and use of the Internet and how much it somewhat controls us. Other wide topics of fear, loneliness, over media saturation are tackled, punted and slammed dunked. Sophie and Jason could be anyone and Miranda July captures you in her world and it is her world. She starred, directed and wrote the movie.
I had the pleasure of a round table discussion with her.
Miranda July got inexplicably afraid when the ground shaked when a big truck came by. We all stopped. She joked about hiding underneath the table, but we all wouldn't fit. We stopped and talked and waited, which I felt was strange for a woman who lives in Silver Lake. To be afraid of earthquakes, still. As the sunbathers below could care less if the world was ending I remembered the car accident that befell the people before me a few feet from the press day for the movie. Broken glass.
Another question of horror was how Miranda in the movie as Sophie broke up with herself. She has this tense moment or tense moments where she starts to question herself. This comes down to a breaking point where she loses touch with herself in a very painful way. Almost like a split personality for a moment. She becomes a child in the movement.
When asked what she thought the future would be like as a child. She explained how she never though she'd be checking something all the time like a manic or psycho refering to e-mail. I never thought about it, but we do, it does seem unnatural. I have friends who do that, that I will try to ban from enjoying things in LA because of this.
There were questions about the sexual parts of the movie and Miranda revealed there could be as she put it " A way Pornier scene in the movie". It was cut, because she hated it and felt it didn't work. Another reporter suggested to leave it in.
We transitioned into how she met one of her actors for the movie by looking through the Pennysaver. When Ms. July met Joe Putterlik, she liked him so much she wrote him into the movie. This meeting made her almost create an entire movie of Pennysaver actors. She even told of how she had the craigslist driver who moved her stuff from LA try out for her. Sadly, Joe died in November 2010.
It brings up a part of the interview and the lines at the end of the movie where someone dies and life seems to be the the start. The exact line had to be rewritten by Ms July, multiple times because it was hard to get through that feeling or understanding that the beginning might have a beginning, middle and end, this is brought up earlier in the movie and has a nice full circle effect.
One scene of the movie has a little girl being buried to her head. Miranda explained this had come from endurance rituals she did as a child though not as severe. Like holding your breath.
I brought up the background of LA, she simply stated it's just because she lives here, it was a more inside movie, the city isn't really a consideration. She went into how Tarzana is so different than Silverlake, that to her it's almost like going to a new land or place, even though they aren't that far apart. Many places in LA are ten minutes from each other, but can be so different. I couldn't agree more when I think about it now.
I wouldn't get away with the interview without asking about the TALKING CAT. I asked if she played it herself and said she didn't want to reveal anything about it.Yes, a talking, sick, injured cat that can talk.
Another point she made was that when first creating the movie she thought it be more of a audience participation movie or feature and wouldn't be as widely seen. But, as you can see below many people enjoy her work , including myself so please check out one of the events she"ll be at over the next few days and her surreal move The Future
MIRANDA JULYELEVEN HEAVY THINGS
So Miranda made eleven interactive pieces that you can freely go up to. Interactive art is always fun and can always change from each person's experience.
RECEPTION FOR THE ARTIST SATURDAY JULY 23 6–8PM
JULY 23–OCTOBER 23, 2011
MOCA PACIFIC DESIGN CENTER
8687 MELROSE AVENUE, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA 90069
Show & Tell w/ Miranda July!
During the roundtable interview, Miranda told of this event. She seemed rather happy about it. I think the problem was the theater is still called the Silent Movie Theater and the Cinefamily so it lives people a little mixed up. She described show and tell as a fun experience she's looking forwar, too.
"For our very first Show & Tell, we’ve chosen filmmaker/author/performance artist/all-around fascinating figure Miranda July — someone whose creativity, mystery and unique mind is present in all facets of her art. Miranda’s sense of humor and her singular way of looking at the world makes her just the kind of person we’d love to rummage through the closets of, in order to dig up her curios, memories and influences. Instead of going to her living room, we’re inviting her to ours, so that she can cozy up and tell us what her past few summer vacations were like…and maybe the other seasons too!"
The Cinefamily
611 N Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, 90036
The Future Starts Playing August 5th at the Landmark