MUTUAL APPRECIATION American Directions

After his first feature film FUNNY HA HA, Andrew Bujalski won the IFP’s 2004 “Someone to Watch” Spirit Award and Filmmaker magazine selected him as one of the “New Faces of Indie Film.”

With a nod to Linklater and Warhol, Bujalski’s second feature is a lo-fi, black and white, comically laid back film that feels charmingly realistic. Alan, a young singer/songwriter, is looking for something. He’s a slacker on a mission. Maybe it’s to be in the “Cool Inclusive People’s Club,” maybe it’s to sleep with his best friend’s girlfriend or maybe it’s just to find a drummer for his upcoming show.

Whatever it may be, Bujalski sucks us into his world of quirky yet familiar people and we become addicted to their daily existence. The art of the film lies in the fact that the characters and the story are just there, living life. An everyday life, with its awkward pauses, uncomfortable party moments and pointless conversations, much like the lives we all lead.