Monday, April 12, 2010
'BREAKING UPWARDS' RECEIVES A GREAT REVIEW IN THE LA TIMES
Alex Bergman / Daryl Wein Films
Daryl Wein's clever "Breaking Upwards" comes knocking at the door like a wolf in sheep's clothing, draping reality in a fictional romantic comedy about a twentysomething NYC couple named Daryl and Zoe whose relationship is coming apart.
The film stars Wein and girlfriend Zoe Lister-Jones (as Daryl and Zoe) and is based on their experience trying to build themselves a better breakup. They also wrote (with Peter Duchan), produced and, in Lister-Jones' case, handled catering and wrote all the lyrics for the film's original soundtrack by composer Kyle Forester.
All of which works to give "Breaking Upwards" a DIY mumblecore vibe, including its very engaging conversational style, but thanks to Wein, there is less mumble, more core from the story and the cast.
Made on less than a shoestring and mostly shot in the apartments of friends and relations, the film opens with a telling midsex moment -- he's half-heartedly trying and she just wants it to be over, a general malaise tangled up in the sheets. Though there is conflict around every corner, it's all very civilized as they plot out the rules of their disengagement, deciding on days off from each other and figuring out whether the relationship should be salvaged or scrapped.
The film takes its time meandering through the necessary transitions from the less consequential -- when to update the Facebook status -- to the significant, like can they have sex with someone else. And there's Daryl's move back in with his parents, played by Julie White (probably best known now as Sam's quirky mom in "Transformers") and veteran character actor Peter Friedman ("The Savages"), with all the baggage that implies.
But really, the overriding question remains, is a good breakup possible? The answer seems to be a qualified yes. Certainly, Wein and Lister-Jones, who's racked up a bunch of credits with smaller roles in larger films, including "State of Play" with Russell Crowe, are enjoyable to watch as they create their single selves: Zoe, an actress just cast in an off-Broadway production, and Daryl, toggling between a baby-sitting gig and making short films on his computer.
Both on-screen and off-, they are living that young New Yorker life on the artist fringes sans most of the angst-ridden self-importance that usually comes with the territory. And that is perhaps the neatest trick pulled off by the filmmaker, who manages to avoid the central problem of such autobiographical filmmaking by keeping narcissism at bay.
In this, Wein is helped by bringing the sort of objectivity found in his earlier documentary, 2008's "Sex Positive," about gay S&M safe-sex activist Richard Berkowitz. Meanwhile, director of photography Alex Bergman's style creates a tangible sense of place -- wide shots, for example, following Zoe and Daryl biking through the streets of the city, creating breathing room just when it's needed.
Most of the cast has roots in the theater, and some of the set pieces have a quality of being played out on a stage, particularly a Passover Seder that brings Zoe's and Daryl's families together, with liberation the main course in more than just the traditional ways.
Just as that dinner is filled with meat, potatoes and portent, there are metaphors around for the finding. But Wein's is a soft touch, nothing too heavy-handed, which makes "Breaking Upwards" a breakup worth going through.
Click here to view the original article on latimes.com
Friday, April 2, 2010
'BREAKING UPWARDS' REVIEWS
Click on the links below to check out some great reviews on 'Breaking Upwards':
New York Times
"Like many relationships, “Breaking Upwards” starts in bed and ends on the street. The journey in between, however, feels as new as anything a tiny budget and a boatload of talent could produce."
indieWire
"For his first narrative directorial effort “Breaking Upwards,” being released at the IFC Film Center and on VOD this week, twenty-six year old Wein reached back to his first passion to serve as the lead actor (while also performing the duties of co-writer, editor and producer) - a decision that was not originally in the cards."
Cinematical
"Somehow, the writers have managed a delicate balancing act of making their characters likeable but flawed, sarcastic without being cruel, earnest without being twee; even when they do bad things to each other, we are not being dared to empathize with them as we are in Greenberg."
WBRU (90.9 fm)
"It could be an insufferably precious scenario: two actual paramours playing two fictional paramours who negotiate a possible breakup. Well, the semi-autobiographical, microbudgeted Breaking Upwards is indeed precious. But it's also smart, witty and less self-absorbed than you might reasonably expect."
DVD Talk
"Most importantly, Breaking Upwards is appealing and sympathetic. You like these people. You want them to be happy. You want them to succeed. But somehow, trickily (and without any easy villains or obvious infractions), you want them to succeed apart. To pull that off, and to do it with this much warmth and humor, is a real accomplishment."
The Hollywood Reporter
"Shot on a reported shoestring budget of $15,000, the film nonetheless has a polished, professional look and benefits immeasurably from the entertaining contributions from such theater pros as White, Friedman, Schreiber and Martin. "
New York Times
"Like many relationships, “Breaking Upwards” starts in bed and ends on the street. The journey in between, however, feels as new as anything a tiny budget and a boatload of talent could produce."
indieWire
"For his first narrative directorial effort “Breaking Upwards,” being released at the IFC Film Center and on VOD this week, twenty-six year old Wein reached back to his first passion to serve as the lead actor (while also performing the duties of co-writer, editor and producer) - a decision that was not originally in the cards."
Cinematical
"Somehow, the writers have managed a delicate balancing act of making their characters likeable but flawed, sarcastic without being cruel, earnest without being twee; even when they do bad things to each other, we are not being dared to empathize with them as we are in Greenberg."
WBRU (90.9 fm)
"It could be an insufferably precious scenario: two actual paramours playing two fictional paramours who negotiate a possible breakup. Well, the semi-autobiographical, microbudgeted Breaking Upwards is indeed precious. But it's also smart, witty and less self-absorbed than you might reasonably expect."
DVD Talk
"Most importantly, Breaking Upwards is appealing and sympathetic. You like these people. You want them to be happy. You want them to succeed. But somehow, trickily (and without any easy villains or obvious infractions), you want them to succeed apart. To pull that off, and to do it with this much warmth and humor, is a real accomplishment."
The Hollywood Reporter
"Shot on a reported shoestring budget of $15,000, the film nonetheless has a polished, professional look and benefits immeasurably from the entertaining contributions from such theater pros as White, Friedman, Schreiber and Martin. "
ROTTEN TOMATOES
Check out 'Breaking Upwards' on RottenTomatoes.com to view a list of reviews.
The film is certified fresh!
The film is certified fresh!