I have long
believed that I will die alone.
Miranda July's directing debut, "Me and You and
Everyone We Know" is a film in which the passage
of time is celebrated, not so much for its
substance or resolution, but for the journey on
which it takes us over the course of our lives.
July previously wrote the script for "Center of
the World," a Wayne Wang film in which she
showed her unique approach to characterization
and storyline. Sadly, the combination of Wang
and July was an unsatisfying one as their
approaches to film are starkly different.
July was a performance artist and writer before
becoming involved in the film industry, and has
had several short films to her credit that have
garnered her significant attention (and the
likes of John C. Reilly in their casts).
Filmmaker Magazine named July one of the 25
faces to watch in indie film in 2004, and her
feature debut indicates they were right on the
money with their observation.
"Me and You and Everyone We Know" captured the
2005 Critics Week Grand Prize at Cannes, along
with that festival's Golden Camera and Prix
Regards Jeune. It also captured a special Jury
Prize for Original Vision at Sundance this year,
along with multiple other indie prizes. Roger
Ebert, perhaps, sums it up best when he says
that "Me and You And Everyone We Know is a film
that with quiet confidence creates a fragile
magic. It's a comedy about falling in love when,
for you, love requires someone who speaks your
rare emotional language."
July's film is a stunning and unique film that
captures masterfully and without histrionics or
judgment the quiet search for connection and the
essence of human nature.
The story centers around Richard (perfectly
played by John Hawkes), a caucasian father we
first meet as he and his long-term
African-American companion are parting ways. The
reason for the break-up is unclear and
unimportant. It appears they have simply fallen
out of love, and these scenes are not played
dramatically or for effect...they simply are
lived out. Richard is left with primary custody
of his two sons, teen Peter (Miles Thompson) and
six-year-old Robby (Brandon Ratcliffe). In a
scene on the day they are to leave their home,
Richard is attempting to share how much he loves
them and sets his hand on fire (an act he had
seen as a child). He has, however, confused the
non-burning rubbing alcohol with the rapidly
burning lighter fluid. It is a scene that is, at
once, funny yet remarkably powerful as the
camera lingers...it becomes clear that Richard
does not at any point regret this act because
the fact that he was communicating love remains.
There are so many utterly delightful and
innocent scenes in this film that to share them
all would be impossible and criminal. I wouldn't
want to destroy your own filmgoing experience.
Yet, in many ways, July here accomplishes what
the similarly minded Solondz is often unable to
do. She achieves the balance of addressing
challenging, often "offensive" situations with
an appropriate respect, dignity and air of
acceptance and innocence. One such example
includes a scene involving two fourteen-year-old
girls who begin innocently flirting with an
obviously older, somewhat overweight male who is
obviously isolated (and works with Richard as a
shoe salesman) and socially insecure. July
flirts with the idea that this man could, in
fact be a pedophile, but more likely simply has
no clue about basic social skills and so craves
human attention that he responds in a way he
believes these young girls want him to respond.
Likewise, the girls, who harass the teen Peter
become obsessed with oral sex and decide to
practice on him and compare who is the best at
it. Solondz (who is one of my favorite
directors) often finds himself struggling to
balance addressing these delicate issues without
crossing a line...Here, July presents these
teens at the point in their lives when they are
aware of sexuality but haven't a clue what to do
with it. The "oral sex" scene largely earned
this film its "R" rating from the MPAA because
of its "disturbing images of sexuality involving
children," yet this scene is far from
disturbing. It is real, honest, authentic and
nearly perfectly played.
July herself performs here as Christine, a
young, socially awkward performance artist who
finds herself drawn to Richard in a quiet,
playful yet very serious way. A particular scene
of the two of them walking down the street and
comparing the walk to their relationship journey
is simple, funny and effective. July's
performance is poignant and beautiful.
I can't fathom a fan of indie film not enjoying
"Me and You and Everyone We Know." July's film
is independent filmmaking to near, but not
quite, perfection. The performances of Hawkes
and July (who also wrote the script) resonate
deeply, and the child actors here offer the
finest young performances of the year. Along
with the aforementioned sons, strong
performances by youth include the two
fourteen-year-old girls played by Natasha
Slayton and Najarra Townsend and also Carlie
Townsend, a young, lonely girl who collects
things for her dowry. Quite simply, there are
too many powerful, wonderful and captivating
characters to fully mention.
"Me and You and Everyone We Know" loses a bit of
favor due to Michael Andrews' somewhat
repetitive score and a couple scenes that seem
to drop a tad abruptly.
It's ending, in fact, is quite mundane and oddly
timed yet it fits the atmosphere of the film
rather well. It felt, though, like the journey
wasn't quite finished...there were still things
to learn about these characters, stories to be
told and resolution to be obtained. Yet, July's
film is about the journey and not the
destination. To cleanly resolve these stories
would have been pointless, as their journey is
ongoing.
"Me and You and Everyone We Know" is, thus far,
one of the best films of 2005 and a strong
indicator of July's future at the forefront of
independent filmmaking. It's a powerful,
beautiful and often funny look at life as we
truly live it in all its mundane moments and
simple connections.
Ebert said it best when he called "Me and You
and Everyone We Know" a film of "fragile magic."
July's honesty, authenticity, humor and
innocence work together to truly create a film
of utter and complete "fragile magic."
©
Written by Richard
Propes
TC Candler's Comment
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Hall's Comment
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