 | | March 12th, 2010 at 4:40 am | |
Breaking Upwards
Directed by: Daryl Wein
Written by: Zoe Lister-Jones, Daryl Wein, Peter Duchan
Starring: Zoe Lister-Jones, Daryl Wein, Andrea Martin, Peter Friedman, Julie White, Olivia Thirlby
IFC Films
Release Date: April 2, 2010 (Limited)
It’s all just part of life as we know it: people enter into relationships, and every single day, many of those relationships hit a wall causing said people to go their separate ways. But what do you do when you realize that the bond you share with another is wearing thin and that it might be time to break up, but neither of you can bare the thought of being apart completely?
Breaking Upwards tells the story of a real-life couple named Daryl (Daryl Wein) and Zoe (Zoe Lister-Jones) who are living in New York. When they enter into the 4-year range of their relationship, they begin to realize certain cracks that simply just can’t be repaired. Another realization that they come to, is that they also can’t be apart from each other long enough to quit their relationship cold turkey, so they need to come up with a plan to make their breakup happen.
The plan? Slowly-but-surely wean themselves away from each other by taking “days off,” doing things much more independently, and even opening up themselves to romantic and sexual situations with others.
Head on over for more and to check out the trailer.
As Daryl and Zoe commit to this new strategy, things start off fairly smooth; but as time goes by, it gets harder and harder. They eventually have to tell their families, who have grown to love their children’s significant other as if they were their own, about their decision to move on. Then of course there’s the moment when they have to look each other in the eyes after exploring their decision to be open sexually with others. Things that made sense at one time suddenly make no sense at all, and many complications and difficulties are created within their endeavor.
The best part about Breaking Upwards is the natural feeling that the movie gives off; nothing feels forced or manufactured. The film’s stars based it on their own experience as a couple and their own attempt at breaking up slowly, and instead of casting actors to portray them, they decided that it would be best to handle the duties themselves. This was a majorly important choice, and the chemistry you see is not something that you can replicate with ease. The dialogue between the two is witty and funny, and they do a flawless job of selling their situation; but it’s the little things that really won me over. The way they looked into each other’s eyes, their tendencies when they’re alone together, and little things like lightly bumping helmets when they meet up for a bike ride together. These things made this movie more than just a movie and elevated it to an observation of the human spirit and the difficulties that exist not only in two souls existing as one, but how painfully impossible it can be to let that part of you go when things don’t work out.
The movie does a good job of showing the side of people when they’re out and about and everyone is trying to be at their very best, but also the not-so-perfect moments that we have as human beings. All of the times when we lose our temper and flip out without thinking; the times we’re so overwhelmed that we’re not sure what direction to even take our next step in; the hardest of times that will only fortify us with an even stronger, more protective outer shell for life’s future battles.
Both Wein and Lister-Jones do a fantastic job all-around; it can’t be an easy task to make a movie this small, with hardly any budget…let alone one that shines a spotlight on your own most personal moments as a couple. Both actors deliver wonderful performances without question, but it was Lister-Jones who I really fell for while watching this movie. She really throws it all out there for all to see; from some great moments of humor, to random snaps of anger, and some incredibly heartbreaking moments of anguish, she really holds nothing back and it all translates perfectly to this tiny independent film.
I have to take the time to commend the surrounding actors as well. Instead of casting anyone, they cast a lot of friends and some distinguished talents while staying withing their small budget, and you can’t deny the positive effect their choices play in the final product. Especially when it comes to Daryl and Zoe’s parents, who were all played by said distinguished talents, and all did a marvelous job highlighting the negative ripples that a breakup can cause throughout a family. Zoe’s mother Helaine, played by the excellentAndrea Martin, was also particularly memorable as a laid back and wise women who gives it to you straight doesn’t have time for life’s B.S.
If the fact that this real-life couple wrote, directed and starred in a very well-made, well-executed film about their own very personal love lives wasn’t admirable and impressive enough for you, Lister-Jones even handled a lot of the great original music for the film along with composer Kyle Forester, which included singing some of the songs. Talk about a multi-tasking duo. Have you ever seen Scorsese star in his own films AND sing songs on the soundtrack as well? I’m just saying!
Breaking Upwards is a simple movie. There’s no major plot twists or complications going on here, just the story of two people who mean the world to each other but fear that they’ve reached the limits of their romantic relationship. When you begin the film, you have to assume that these two know what’s best, and that their decision is likely the most logical thing to do. The appeal comes from the above-mentioned chemistry that you see shining brightly on the screen, and as the movie plays, it’s hard not to want to scream out at them and cross your fingers that they find a way to work things out somehow.
I’ve had the good fortune of being able to see some of these much smaller independent films more often lately, and I might never have even heard of otherwise. It’s movies like this one that make that as exciting as it is. For one: I get to see smart, moving pictures like Breaking Upwards; and also, because I get to share the wealth with you guys and help point your eyes in the right direction.
The film will hit theaters in limited release on April 2, 2010, and will be expanded to more cities after that. If you can’t catch in theaters, it will also be released on VOD if you’d rather check it out that way. The soundtrack is available on iTunes.
Be warned, this trailer has one naughty word. So…I suppose that one split-second would not be safe for your working environment.
This article was published at geeksofdoom.com on March 12th, 201o
Stories about love are a dime a dozen in Hollywood. That's why I was on a self-imposed break from any and all introspective stories about a couple discovering their true coupledom. That is, until I stumbled across "Breaking Upwards," a movie about the stutter-stop relationship between New Yorkers Zoe & Daryl.
After almost a decade together, their relationship has lost all the magic it once had so they decide to break up ... for half the week. Cheating is taboo but anything else is game in this film that explores the world that can be yours once you press pause.
There was one scene so hilarious, I had to bring it to you, my adorable PopWrappers. I laughed because we've all been on one side of this conversation before. Watch an exclusive first look at "Breaking Upwards" as Daryl tries justifying his "lady pants" to mother.
-Jarett Wieselman, NYPost.com
Within the next month, ‘Breaking Upwards’ will be featured in the following publications: New York Times, OK Magazine, Spin Magazine, Elle, Marie Claire, Nylon, Paper Magazine, Women's Wear Daily, New York Post, MTV.com
Zoe Lister-Jones, Daryl Wein and Scott Siegel at the Town Hall Screening in NYC
Zoe Lister-Jones and Daryl Wein at the screening's Q and A
Director/ Star - Daryl Wein
Star - Zoe Lister-Jones Movie Review: Breaking Upwards
by Max Abrams
Friday, Feb 05, 2010
Breaking up is never pretty. Even when both sides agree it's time to let it go, all the ugly feelings and jealousies start to come out no matter what we do. Movies tend to use a breakup as the beginning or end of a film, either creating a problem or ending a story. But what if the entire movie is about the process of breaking up and breaking apart?
Breaking Upwards is the brain child of real life couple and co-stars Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister Jones. The film begins years into their relationship. Although they are comfortable, they grow bored of the mundane life their relationship brings. Instead of breaking up, they decide to take "days off" to slowly get used to life without their long term partner. What follows is one of the most sophisticated and nuanced examinations of relationships of the past 10 years.
The characters are fighting against the all too human feeling of jealousy. As the two lovers attempt to date other people, all the painful and ugly emotions start to come out. When they are together, they feel bored and uninspired, but when they attempt the fast life of casual relationships, they yearn for each-other more than ever. However they don't come off as immature, but rather as flawed as any human.
Instead of fulfilling the viewer's desire ("I hope she ends up with ___"), this romantic film seeks only to reveal the humanity of the characters. The film is full of the little things that make a relationship important, like the stress put on their facebook relationship status (it's not true until it's on facebook). It's these little things, both intimate and obsessive, that give the characters and story the depth sorely lacking in most other romantic films. There is no expected outcome to the story, as the narrative weaves the viewer through the complexities of basic human interaction. The viewer never knows where they're going, but the film is never confusing or unfocused.
The film keeps the viewer entertained with the backdrop of beautiful New York and a cast of neurotic characters that tend to complicate more than alleviate. The mothers (Julie White and Andrea Martin) are especially brilliant and hilarious, providing a different take on the situation than the lovers intwined in it.
While Breaking Upwards can have the feeling of some other indie-hipster breakout hits (see: Garden State), the superb script and realistic acting give it a depth rarely seen in those films. The problems of this couple can be applied to any relationship and the issues they discuss are close to any young person's heart. Maybe it takes a real life couple to create a more realistic, insightful portrayal of love.
BREAKING UPWARDS
'Breaking Upwards' follows a young New York couple who, after four years together, have grown stifled. Desperate to escape their ennui, but fearful of life apart, they decide to intricately strategize their own break up. Daryl and Zoe create a maze of rules and boundaries, hoping they can avoid the pain of separation by slowly weaning themselves off of each other. Setting days on which they can speak and days on which they can't, the two twenty-something’s are forced to confront their already embedded fears of self-government. Their experiment becomes an exploration of independence within the confines of a relationship--monogamous or polyamorous.
Driven by a quest for answers, both native New Yorkers turn to their parents for all things related. Zoe, a child of divorce, investigates her parents’ failed partnership to gain insight into her own, while Daryl moves back in to an intact, but flawed childhood home. Zoe's mother Helaine (Andrea Martin), a single pot-smoking Brooklyn sculptor, promotes feminist self-empowerment. Daryl's mother Joanie (Julie White), a Southern Belle turned Jewish ball breaker, sees marriage as the only option for happiness. Daryl's father Alan (Peter Friedman), an introverted Upper West Side dentist, quietly watches the dissolution of Joanie and Daryl's once tight relationship. Each respective parent projects their perceptions of commitment and its subsequent failures or successes onto both Daryl and Zoe, ultimately leading to a tangled web of compromise, confusion, and betrayal.
While Joanie at first suggests marriage, her brewing anxiety about Daryl's lack of a career propels her to ultimately interrogate his commitment to a faltering romance. However, her concern turns vicious when Daryl passes up a job opportunity in Vancouver to stay with Zoe. The drama finally erupts at the Wein's annual Passover Seder.
'Breaking Upwards' explores a world in which young people are hyper-articulate, while professionally sidetracked; foul-mouthed while emotionally vulnerable; intellectually curious while self-aggrandizing. This is a world in which parents ask the same questions as children, and children force parents to explore notions of loneliness much later in life. It is a world where all people need the same thing and don’t quite know how to find it.
The film blurs the line between fiction and non-fiction by casting real life couple (and filmmakers) Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones as themselves. An uncensored look at young love, lust, and the pangs of codependency, 'Breaking Upwards' follows its characters as they navigate each others' emotions across the city they love. It begs the question: is it ever possible to grow apart together?
“Breaking Upwards” was an official selection in the Narrative Competition at the 2009 SXSW Film Festival.
Little Rock Film Festival, Arkansas
AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER
Brooklyn International Film Festival
GRAND JURY PRIZE AND BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE WINNER
Detroit Windsor International Film Festival
BEST SCREENPLAY AWARD WINNER
Royal Flush Festival
BEST SCREENPLAY
Big Apple Film Festival
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
BEST FEATURE SHOT IN NEW YORK
BEST ACTRESS
Posted by Adam Sweeney on March 15, 2009
Breaking up is hard to do, as Daryl Wein finds a new way of teaching us in his breakout film, Breaking Upwards. Yes, we love words that start with break.
If there is a certain genre that stands out for the misrepresentation of the subject it is attempting to shed light on, it has to be the romantic film. Somewhere along the way, film distributors thought it would be best to offer two forms of relationship narratives. The heartwarming tale, often starring a plastic princess, that gives us the fairy tale, or the tragic woe is me piece of fabric that makes us feel grateful for the situation we are in. Breaking Upwards does neither of these, choosing instead to display the chaos that ensues when we try to frame our emotions. The result is a story that handily examines the insecurities and imperfections that exist in a couple that has grown tired of each other, but insist on breaking up on their own terms. Breaking Upwardsis a voice for the complex relationships so many twenty-something people are going through.
What do you do when the euphoria of love has faded? The film offers an answer as Daryl (Daryl Wein) and Zoe (Zoe Lister-Jones) have grown bored of their relationship. Instead of quitting each other cold turkey, they decide to take “off days” in an attempt to make the transition a bit smoother. It’s a great idea in theory. In reality, it is a train wreck, and we are on board to watch them crash. The experiment, which Wein and Lister Jones actually attempted in their relationship in real life, plays
As the two characters journey down the relationship road, they learn that separation and co-dependency can turn even good people into ugly and jealous versions of themselves. There seems to be no middle ground for the couple, unless you consider the beginning of the film as the middle, which they find unsatisfying. The closer they are, the farther apart they become. When they cater to the alleged glamor of casual relationships, they’re left longing for each other. Their actions contradict their emotions, which is understandable. They’re human.
Wein’s script and direction highlights the beauty of New York City and includes elements of Jewish culture, a welcome addition of a religious denomination that is often marginalized. The city becomes an extension of Daryl and Zoe’s relationship, which we are made aware of as the two divide the town between them. The division extends to the internet, with discussions of where the two stand on their Facebook relationship status. If you know anything about social networking, you know nothing is official until it’s on Facebook.
The complexity of the situation is balanced well, thanks to the superb acting. Wein and Lister Jones complement each other perfectly as they push and pull at each other throughout the film, trying to fill the void left in the wake of each other’s absence. Their delivery of dialogue is natural and endears us to both characters. What stands out is how real both central characters feel. The discussions in the film are memorable and natural, whether it’s making fun of guys wearing girl pants or asking why untalented models get acting roles that unique and talented performers deserve. Granted, these issues may be closer to you if you’re a hipster or performer. Those types are isolated. The theme of love is not. It is universal and Breaking Upwards understands how to reach the audience in a unique way.
Julia White and Andrea
Breaking Upwards brings to mind the works of Woody Allen’s Annie Hall and Zach Braff’s Garden State. Luckily, Breaking never comes off as self-serving, and Wein chooses to document both sides of the argument, resulting in a story that will touch more people. Whether it will find the success that the aforementioned films achieved isn’t so important as the fact that Wein, Lister Jones and the cast deserve similar accolades. Wein and Lister Jones poured their hearts into the film in every aspect of the production. Wein and Lister Jones both worked on the screenplay with Peter Duchan, and Lister Jones provided lyrics for almost all of the soundtrack, which should be downloaded on
GRADE: A
Please contact us if you would like to publish an article about 'Breaking Upwards' or to request an interview with the talent.
Written by Daryl Wein, Zoe Lister-Jones and Peter Duchan
CAST
Zoe - Zoe Lister-Jones
Daryl - Daryl Wein
Joanie - Julie White
Alan - Peter Friedman
Helaine - Andrea Martin
Turner - Pablo Schreiber
Maggie - La Chanze
Erika - Olivia Thirlby
Dylan - Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Hannah - Heather Burns
Lindsay - Francis Benhamou
Sam - Sam Rosen
Toby - Toby Burns
Brian - Tate Ellington
Frosh - Max Jenkins
Tolan - Alexander Gil
Director - Will Frears
Aunt Barbara - Maggie Burke
Hot Bartender - David Call
Hot Bartender - Harmon Walsh
Casting Director - Roger Del Pozo
Stage Manager - Bryce Mcdonald
Asst. Manager - Jenn McNeil
Dancing Model - Marlouse Borm
Theater Model - Shelly Zander
Yoga teacher - Becca Kannapell
Funny Yoga Guy - Aaron Burns
Yoga Girl - Ashley Lambert
Waitress - Audrey Wauchope
Man at Synagogue - Ray Iannicelli
Boy at Party - Rodrigo Lopresti
Puppy - Tuna
