Bianca Bartz
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In 2006, Time Magazine named “You” the “Person of the Year.” Apparently, “You” still qualify for that title this year, and likely the next. This ego-driven way of life has also caused the emergence of a new movie genre. indieWIRE wrote an excellent article about the next generation movie scene: “The films that comprise “The New Talkies: Generation DIY” series opening at the IFC Center this week are not just part of some exclusive movement of intellectual masturbation. That’s the beauty of them: Separately, each film is an original, passionate, and articulate examination of young bohemian America. “Mumblecore” is a myth, and the term has sort of taken on a life of its own. The one thing this term does address, however, is the fact the films lumped into it, are all about communication or a lack thereof. As a whole, these films speak volumes about what post-college or pre-marriage life means to an entire generation who were promised flying cars, and instead got reality TV, after the year 2000.” Also named the MySpace Generation or iGeneration, the culture that’s been bred is all about “you”, the self, each individual. From iTunes (the soundtrack to YOUR life) to the iMac (where you live your second life, the home of your alter-ego, avatar self), it’s all about living your life how you want it. Fitting, then, that there are big-screen movie being made about you and your life. “This collective of filmmakers, whether consciously or not, continued to make very personal films that had the immediacy and audacity of Web 2.0. Because, much like the vloggers or bloggers gaining momentum around the globe, these were films coming without filters and directly from the source. They were rough around the edges, but accessible and honest. Like blogs, some will take to “The New Talkies” films more than others. Most importantly, perhaps, is the realization that they are united by one theme: struggling for inter-personal communication during a telecommunications revolution.”  So far, these films have been successful, but like the blogosphere their community resembles, "success" is relative. Many of these filmmakers are already finishing their next projects, and the 2008 festival circuit will be canvassed with new Bujalski, Swanberg, and Duplass films. Fittingly, whether this trend of "New Talkies" can break out beyond discerning journalists, curious online observers, and enthusiastic festival audiences, is up to you.
(indiewire)References: indiewire Filed In: |
