NY AND LA PREMIERES!

Click here to view pictures from the NY and LA 'Breaking Upwards' Premieres.

'BREAKING UPWARDS' RECEIVES A GREAT REVIEW IN THE LA TIMES

'Breaking Upwards'

A couple plot out their disengagement in this engaging DIY film.

April 09, 2010|By BETSY SHARKEY, Film Critic

• 
  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.

betsy.sharkey@latimes.com

Click here to view the original article on latimes.com

'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. "

ROTTEN TOMATOES

Check out 'Breaking Upwards' on RottenTomatoes.com to view a list of reviews.

The film is certified fresh!

BREAKING UPWARDS

“an effortlessly hip and funny new indie flick that easily ranks among the best films about relationships.”

Quote from 06880

MOVIE MAKER MAGAZINE

THE BEAUTIFUL ZOE LISTER-JONES IN 'INTERVIEW' MAGAZINE

The Private Lives of Zoe Lister-Jones

By ARIELLA GOGOL 03/25/2010 02:30 PM

Unlike budding starlets who desperately try to keep their love lives under wraps, Zoe Lister-Jones invites your voyeurism. After initiating an open relationship with her boyfriend, director Daryl Wein, the duo went on to write, produce, and star inBreaking Upwards, a film re-enacting their experiment with polyamory. Issues of intimacy and autonomy abound–no surprise from 27-year-old Lister-Jones, who garnered critical acclaim for her 2004 one-woman show, “Codependence is a Four Letter Word,” and went on to score roles in Law and Order, State of Play, and the upcoming Salt (starring Angelina Jolie). Here, the Brooklyn native takes a seat to talk break-ups, the writing process, and why mom’s friends may just be onto something.


ARIELLA GOGOL: The film is about you breaking up with your real life and on-camera boyfriend. Was the action in real-time?

ZOE LISTER-JONES: Well, it’s funny–being open was a roundabout path to ultimate break up. But we actually got back together, and then made a movie about it. Which you’d think could also break us up, but nope–we’re together.

GOGOL: You said that the idea to make your experience a movie was actually Daryl’s. Were you immediately on board?

LISTER-JONES: At first, I thought I couldn’t do it. There was no distance! One night we’d be having a fight, the next day he’d be at the computer writing about it. But after a year of Daryl working on the script with our co-writer, Peter Duchan, I joined in–I needed to, for narcissistic reasons!

GOGOL: Did re-living it all on film stir up any anger or jealousy?

LISTER-JONES: I got more upset during the writing process. We would be writing scenes about that “somebody else”–and be wondering how much of it was true, and what we even wanted to know…

GOGOL: You wanted to open the relationship to combat your dependence on each other. Now that you’re in a once-again closed relationship, do you still feel co-dependent?

LISTER-JONES: I think every relationship has ebbs and flows of that kind of thing. It’s so hard, and I think that’s what’s cool about the movie. Because whether or not you’ve been in an open relationship, everyone has struggled with these kinds of questions–how to create space for oneself in a serious relationship. And we still keep the option open to see other people.

GOGOL: What made you want to open the relationship up and date other people, instead of just breaking up?

LISTER-JONES: My mom’s best friends are polyamorous, and they were an inspiration for the experiment. I think that lifestyle is so interesting… and terrifying. People are human, and they have human desires and needs–and how do you deal with that? I mean, most people deal with it by cheating. So I think it’s pretty brave to say to someone: “You know, I want to sleep with someone else right now.”

Click here to view the original article on interviewmagazine.com

BREAKING UPWARDS

BREAKING UPWARDS

A NEW DIRECTORS/NEW FILMS 2010 SELECTION

Can an indie film produced on a shoestring budget by relative newcomers upstage some of the bigger, more expensive films and gain a following? The answer appears to be YES! A total surprise and a delightful experience, from the beginning, Breaking Upwards, a film written, produced and acted in by a couple of New York University Tisch School graduates, is rapidly gaining ground and supporters. The real life couple, Zoe Lister Jones and Daryl Wein, decided to tell the story of their own four-year relationship, their co-dependency and mutual boredom, their establishment of arbitrary rules for their relationship and their resulting breakup. The film is an exploration of a single year in their lives where they explore alternatives to monogamy and what follows as a result. It's interesting in that they work at staying together in a world where breaking up is commonplace and somewhat simpler. Without much money but with great expectations, the two "stars"did multiple jobs on the film in addition to acting and drew heavily on friends and family to appear. Some of the parts are played by well-known New York actors while others are played by family members like Wein's 96-year old grandfather. Compared to Woody Allen's Annie Hall, the Breaking Upwards film was an Official Selection of the SXSW Film Festival and has won several film festival awards. Breaking Upwards is currently available from IFC On Demand and opens in selected cities in April. For more information check the www.breakingupwards.com and local listings.

Article by D.E.Levine

View the original article on cinefilms.org

'WOMENS WEAR DAILY' MAGAZINE

"Breaking Upwards" Filmmaking Couple Takes Life as Inspiration

by Priya Rao Styled by Alex Badia and Antonia Sardone Posted WEDNESDAY MARCH 24, 2010

.

Photo By Robert Mitra

Photo By: Robert Mitra

Photo By: Robert Mitra

Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones are sitting in a location van, en route to Central Park for a shoot, the easy rapport between them obvious. Asked how they met, Wein deadpans that they “were both strippers. We met doing erotic dance.” Lister-Jones then picks up on the joke. “We funded our movie fully in cash. We paid for it in…” “Singles,” Wein finishes her thought.

The film under discussion, “Breaking Upwards,” opens in New York on April 2 through the IFC Center. It is the first independent project together for the filmmakers-actors, whose personal history preceded their professional one. They met as students at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and quickly became a couple. “Breaking Upwards” is based in part on their real-life relationship — the part in which they got a little bored with each other, and so decided to switch from an exclusive relationship to an “open” one. The project blurs the lines between fiction and reality. Wein, 26, and Lister-Jones, 27, portray themselves by name, while stressing that the story line is fictionalized, in a Woody Allen-esque plot alongside Julie White, Olivia Thirlby and Andrea Martin. The film made its debut at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, last year and has received rave reviews and awards on the indie circuit.

“I think that [filmmakers] are growing tired of formula [in films] and are trying to go against the norms,” says Wein, noting such films as “500 Days of Summer” and “Paper Heart.” “Instead of having the fairy tale where the couple leaps into each others’ arms and gets back together, we are just trying to portray a reality that is more relatable,” he adds.

The idea for “Breaking Upwards” began in 2006 when, after two years together, Lister-Jones proposed the two try a “days on/days off” plan. The idea was that while “on,” she and Wein would act like a conventional couple, but during days “off” they would be free to date and sleep with other people. When he agreed, the two embarked on a year of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

“We were in very different places,” says Lister-Jones, whose credits include “State of Play” and this summer’s “Salt.” “I started working pretty quickly once I graduated [in 2004]. I think it’s confusing as a young actress to be in these exciting situations with all these new people. I didn’t want to feel tied down. Daryl, at the time, was in panic mode because he was trying to figure out his place in the world and his career path.”

Not surprisingly, the pair was met with the incredulity of family and friends, and fielded frequent comments like “You’re crazy” and “This is never going to work.” “It was definitely taboo, I think, but instinctually the human species is not meant to be with only one person sexually,” says Wein. That said, he does acknowledge the nerve-wracking nature of their agreement: “There was definitely a tinge of anxiety. You weren’t sure if you were going to run into the other person with someone else, and it’s emotionally overwhelming to deal with more than one person.”

And to keep behind the wall of “don’t ask,” Wein began documenting the conversations and fights that resulted from their new relationship status, and these “journaling” exercises led to the first draft of the script. “At some point, I was like, ‘This would be a hysterical movie,’” says Wein, who previously directed the independent films “Sex Positive” and “Unlocked.”

Lister-Jones was less than thrilled, and removed herself from the project while continuing in the “on” and “off.” Wein continued to work on the screenplay with friend and co-writer Peter Duchan. A year later, Lister-Jones had apparently had her fill of freedom. She suggested reverting back to their monogamous state, and rejoined the film project. On a budget of $15,000, the couple cowrote (with Duchan) and coproduced the movie; Wein directed it and Lister-Jones catered meals on various shooting days. “It’s a real mom-and-pop shop,” she says.

Staying true to their own characterizations, the stars wore their everyday clothes, a mix of thrift-store pieces and stylish Opening Ceremony finds. Says Wein, “Wearing our own clothes added to the authenticity that we were going for.”

But despite the fact that the actors play themselves in the film, Wein contends that “Breaking Upwards” is a dramatized version of their relationship: “The details and descriptions are very fictional compared to what really happened. [Our story] just set up the broad strokes.”

Still, the art-imitating-life plotline is certainly cause for intrigue. Viewers on the festival circuit have bombarded Wein and Lister-Jones with personal questions ranging from whether their co-stars were their actual lovers to what their sex life is like now. “Even though we’ve made a film about our relationship and talk about it incessantly, there are still painful elements that we don’t feel like rehashing all the time,” says Lister-Jones.

Wein is more accepting of the curiosity. “Sometimes it is a little too personal,” he says. “But we brought it onto ourselves, so we can’t really get mad.”

Click here to view the original article on WWD.com

MORE PHOTOGRAPHS FROM 'WOMAN'S WEAR DAILY' MAGAZINE

'BREAKING UPWARDS' ARTICLE IN CINEMATICAL

Every year there are those small little festival indies that I somehow become personally involved with because I saw the film at a fest, fell kinda in love with it and then took it upon myself to champion the thing into theaters so that folks like you will discover it and find some new entertainment that you may not have otherwise known existed. That's my favorite part of this job by far, and it is with great pleasure that we premiere this exclusive clip from Breaking Upwards, a film that carved a little hole in my heart back when it premiered at the 2009 SXSW Film Festival, and I've followed it ever since. (I even conducted a Q&A for the movie during the Big Apple Film Festival, and presented co-star Zoe Lister-Jones with the fest's NY Emerging Talent Award, which she whole-heartedly deserved.)

Set in New York City, Breaking Upwards stars Daryl Wein (who also co-wrote and directed) and Zoe Lister-Jones as a couple (named Daryl and Zoe) who, unfulfilled with their current relationship, decide to intricately strategize their break-up. Oh, and maybe I should tell you that they're also a couple in real life ... so, yes, there's a whole crazy meta thing happening here too. One of the best things about the film (other than its sharp-witted script) is that Wein colors the background with an excellent cast, including Olivia Thirlby, Pablo Schreiber, Andrea Martin and Julie White -- the latter of which is featured alongside Wein in the hilarious clip featured after the jump.

So listen: Breaking Upwards is hitting a limited amount of theaters (NY on 4/2, LA on 4/9, San Fran on 4/16, then Boston and Minneapolis) in early April, and you can catch it On Demand (via IFC) on April 2nd. Definitely check it out; might sound odd considering the plot, but it's a fantastic date movie

Article by Erik Davis

Click here to view the original article on cinematical.com

KDKA 2 INTERVIEWS ZOE AND DARYL

Click here to watch as

Zoe and Daryl discuss 'Breaking

Upwards'

with KDKA 2.

BUZZSUGAR TALKS ABOUT BREAKING UPWARDS

The only thing I love more than seeing a good story played out on screen is a movie with an equally good story behind it. In the upcoming indie film Breaking Upwards, Daryl and Zoe are a twentysomething couple who decide to take some time apart to figure out if they're meant to be together. Here's the twist: they also allow themselves a few days a week to be a full-on couple. Adult coming-of-age tales are nothing new, but I'm intrigued because Breaking Upwards is actually based on Daryl and Zoe's real-life relationship and breakup experiment (the actors play themselves and Daryl Weir directed).

The film looks sweetly relatable, thanks to references like shared Netflix queues and gchat conversations (you know, the important factors in relationships these days). The realness of the characters and their chemistry also shines through in the preview, though I was happy to see a couple of other familiar faces in the trailer — most notably Olivia Thirlby.

Article by Buzzsugar

SPIN MAGAZINE GIVES 'BREAKING UPWARDS' 4 STARS!

INSIDE BEAT INTERVIEWS DIRECTOR DARYL WEIN

An Interview with Breaking Upwards Director

By Emily Schachtman

Film Editor

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

A clip from the scene Breaking Upwards

Independent filmmaker Daryl Wein’s second feature-length film, Breaking Upwards, is sort of like a dissection of the modern breakup. Along with directing and starring, he also penned the screenplay with co-star Zoe Lister-Jones (both use their real names in the film), and the result is a clever meta-narrative about what it means to remove yourself from the life of someone you love, but with whom you may not be in love with. Breaking Upwards is screening at the New Jersey Film Festival this weekend, so Wein answered a few of Inside Beat’s questions about his latest effort.

IB: The script for Breaking Upwards is great! Was any of it improvised?
DW: Yes, there was some stuff that was improvised. The actors were free to add lines if they felt inspired to make something up. But I’d say 95 percent of it was scripted. Peter, Zoe and I worked really hard on the screenplay for about a year or so.

IB: I read one review on IMDb that compared the film to Woody Allen’s New York films. Do you see that?
DW: Yes, I would say Woody Allen was the biggest influence. I miss those early films like Annie Hall and Manhattan. They are funny, sad and serious, and I love that combination. I was trying to create something similar to them in a way but in a fresh, new light.

IB: I noticed you used a lot of outdoor shots. What was your experience with filming in NYC?
DW: Totally renegade. We just went out on the streets and shot. Everyone in the background is real. Nobody ever bothered us except for in Madison Square Park. They guard that park well.

IB: Is it difficult directing yourself? What I mean is, how did you deal with both directing and starring in your film?
DW: Yes, I never want to do it again … I couldn’t focus on both my performance and the other actors at the same time. You have to be invested in one or the other for it to be the best it can be. Sometimes I could watch playback and then give notes and some stuff I wasn’t in, so that was fine, but the rest was hard. I just had to let go and trust sometimes.

IB: What do you see as the one message in this film you’d like audiences to come away with?
DW: There is not one message. I hope people walk away laughing, maybe crying, feeling nostalgic, excited, moved, in love with New York, and asking lots of questions about the nature of relationships.

Click here to read the original article.

BLOG CRITICS REVIEWS 'BREAKING UPWARDS'

Competing in the Narrative Competition at the SXSW Film Festival,Breaking Upwards is a film about planning a relationship breakup so that hopefully no one gets hurt. The film is directed by Daryl Wein and written by Wein, Zoe Lister Jones, and Peter Duchan. Wein and Jones also play the leads in the film with the same names.

Breaking Upwards begins with Daryl and Zoe deciding that after four years of dating, their relationship isn’t going anywhere so they'd better break up. The catch is that they’ve become so comfortable with each other breaking up is not going to be an easy task. So, they figure that they’ll slowly wean themselves off of being around one another. Apparently the two haven’t heard of the Band-Aid trick. One quick motion always gets the job done.

Daryl and Zoe set up “days on” and “days off.” A few days a week they’ll be together, like a couple, and on the off days they do their own thing. As the story moves along jealousy and anger being to enter the picture. Is he flirting with that girl? Is she dating that guy? They begin to find out that making a breakup last longer is actually a more painful process.

Daryl and Zoe begin the movie thinking they’ve figured it all out. They seem to think “why hasn’t anyone thought of this great idea before?” It’s so simple, so genius. Instead of a fast breakup we’ll do a slow one. But they soon find out that the opposite is true.

Breaking Upwards is a lesson in dealing with relationships. Relationships are bigger than a plan. They cannot be planned. They are something that either works or doesn’t work. If it’s not working it’s time to move on. Keeping yourself in relationship limbo isn’t healthy or good.

The ending to Breaking Upwards is inevitable, but that doesn’t make it any less emotional. Sometimes people just aren’t meant to be together. We may want Zoe and Daryl to realize they should get married and grow old together, but it’s not going to happen. It’s hard to accept because we want and need our happy endings, but Breaking Upwardsoffers a real ending, not a contrived Hollywood ending.

These characters are doomed by their choices. They may think they’re outsmarting the world, but really they are setting themselves up for more disappointment and anguish. Breaking Upwards is an emotional ride and should make us all think about our own relationships.

Click here to view the original publication.

QUITE EARTH REVIEWS 'BREAKING UPWARDS'

Review of Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister Jones' BREAKING UPWARDS

Posted on Sunday, March 15th, 2009 8:23:31 GMT by: agentorange
Posted under: movie review

Year: 2009
Directors: Daryl Wein
Writers: Zoe Lister Jones / Daryl Wein / Peter Duchan
Review by: agentorange
Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Breaking Upwards is an effortlessly hip and funny new indie flick that easily ranks among the best films about relationships I've ever seen. For anyone who's ever thought that mainstream romantic comedies are a tad cliched or that the majority of their indie counterparts are quickly becoming limp and ironic flip sides of the same relationship fantasy coin, Breaking Upwards is exactly what you've been waiting for. It captures the modern relationship as it is; complex and not always easy, without painting people or their problems with a black and white brush. I would even go so far as to say it accomplishes for relationships in the new millennium what Annie Hall did in the 70s. Plus, it has great music in it.



Daryl and Zoe are the most mature couple on the planet. They've decided that, instead of just breaking up now that Zoe is feeling "bored" in their relationship, they will try taking "days off" to ween themselves off of each other. They'll be together for four days a week but on the other three they're not allowed to see each other, call each other or even think about each other. Total independence. Oh yeah, and that also means no more sharing Daryl's Netflix queue! That's a very important part of the agreement and I was glad to see this film had the courage to go there.



Of course you don't have to be an expert to see the writing on the wall. Regardless of whether it's culturally learned or instinctual, we puny humans are hardwired to be monogamous and emotions like jealousy or the fear of being alone in the big bad world are pretty hard to choke down; even for the maturest of us. But Zoe is determined to make it work. She's convinced there's something or someone out there to make her life complete and Daryl's just determined to make her happy. Does Zoe find what she's looking for? That mister perfect from all those romantic comedies? Does Daryl continue to put up with her indecision? Well you'll just have to see the film.



The film features a pitch perfect ensemble cast lead by extrememely talented newcomers Zoe Lister Jones (as Zoe) and Daryl Wein (as Daryl). Yes they seem to play themselves which makes me wonder if the film so closely resemble life because it's base on their own relationship.

Two actors which really deserved to be singled out are Julie White and Andrea Martin who turn in fantastic performances as the mothers of the couple. Comedicly neurotic has never played so well and these vets are in top form.

My only real complaint about the film is that it criminally underuses young actress Olivia Thirlby who's turned in some great performances recently in Snow Angels, Juno, and The Wackness. When she showed up I was delighted to find out what her character might bring to the mix but then she sort of just vanished into thin air, relegated to basically a walk-on part. Ah well, no biggie.



Breaking Upwards isn't simply about two people who don't get along and break up. It's about getting too seriously involved too young and having life sort of subtly drift you apart. It's not about big decisions but rather the little ones and how they all add up to be pretty big in the end. I like this movie a lot, in fact I watched it twice in one day.

Click here to read the original publication.