Perhaps the ultimate compliment that can come the way of a piece of narrative fiction, whether on the page, stage, or screen, is that it hits too close to home. Many works appeal to their audiences with slices of a familiar life, but few truly earn the oft-appointed mantle, their observations of the minutiae of interactions too frequently tempered by cliché.
Since 2002, the so-called mumblecore movement has sought to arrest the trend, not in the form of concerted or sweeping acts, but in the heightening of improvisation and naturalism over formality and convention. Hits and misses have littered the indie subgenre’s foundational years, the former perhaps best illustrated by the emergence of Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha) and Mark Duplass (Safety Not Guaranteed) as bona fide stars, and the latter dwelling in the many unappreciated and misunderstood efforts; however, the fruits of a decade spent honing the style are now starting to ripen.
With 13 features (Kissing on the Mouth, LOL and Hannah Takes the Stairs among them) gracing his resume over the last eight years, prolific writer/director/editor and sometimes actor Joe Swanberg has remained at the forefront of mumblecore during its rise to prominence – and with Drinking Buddies, may have created its first mainstream hit. His slight, sweet, but never too simple tale recalls an awkwardness and inelegance recognisable to all, as portrayed with empathy and authenticity: that of a platonic friendship that sparkles with the unfulfilled promise of something more.
Kate (Olivia Wilde, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone) works with Luke (Jake Johnson, TV’s New Girl) at a Chicago brewery, their easy rapport spanning daily flirtations and nightly drinking sessions. Both are in relationships – Kate is seeing Chris (Ron Livingston, The Conjuring), their pairing tentatively moving from casual to more committed; Luke has been talking marriage with Jill (Anna Kendrick, Pitch Perfect) too long for her liking – but still their allure lingers. A couples’ weekend away only augments their simmering affinity, the pull of their bond evident as their partners watch on. Yet, theirs is no love story, but rather a tale about messiness: of emotions, timing, and the baggage of being friends without benefits.
Among the many reasons Drinking Buddies shines in its portrayal of relationships, three elements stand out – and they’re the trio that should in any film. As a writer, Swanberg has captured the ambiguities that prevail in complicated situations, with nothing certain, no clear-cut options presented, and all inane decisions avoided. As a director, he guides Ben Richardson’s (Beasts of the Southern Wild) lens to linger in the moment with care and clarity, and allows his cast to tap into their innate, underplayed chemistry. His performers – including the unpolished, energetic Wilde at her career best and Johnson continuing his affable recent form – are more than up to the task.
Indeed, it is the intersection of realistically-written characters, subtle helming and unassuming portrayals that ensures Drinking Buddies does indeed reach the spot in audience’s hearts and minds that recalls their own similar experience, and deftly dredges up all the bittersweet feelings that go along with it. Yet this is not the sole reason why the film’s fragments of a friendship careening towards a different end endear, engage and enamour viewers; in tandem, it is the feature’s ability to see both the details of a playful dalliance, and the impossibility of the broader quandary.
Rating: 4 ½ stars out of 5
Drinking Buddies
Director: Joe Swanberg
USA, 2013, 90 mins
Possible Worlds Festival of American and Canadian Cinema
http://www.possibleworlds.net.au/
8 – 18 August
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