A week of ‘Mumblecore’ at the Douglas Hyde Gallery

admin | October 1, 2009

Photo: ‘Quiet City’ (dir. Aaron Katz)

A series of nine recent low-budget indie films from America, in a style known collectively as ‘mumblecore’, will be shown at the Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, from 19–23 October 2009.

Monday, 19th October
3 pm – Funny Ha Ha (dir. Andrew Bujalski), 2002.
Considered the first ‘mumblecore’ film, Funny Ha Ha looks at a group of twenty-somethings trying to come to terms with life after college. The Telegraph called this story of youthful frustrations, boring temp jobs and beer a ‘miraculous debut’.
5 pm – LOL (dir. Joe Swanberg), 2006.
LOL explores the relationships of three young men through their use of technology. Do emails, text messages and camera phones help or hinder true connection?

Tuesday, 20th October
3 pm – The Guatemalan Handshake (dir. Todd Rohal), 2006.
The Guatemalan Handshake stars musician Will Oldham as Donald Turnupseed, whose disappearance following a power outage in small-town America sets in motion a surreal chain of events.
5 pm – Quiet City (dir. Aaron Katz), 2007.
Quiet City follows a day in the life of Jamie, who arrives in New York City to meet a friend who never shows up. She forms an unlikely connection with a kindly stranger with whom she spends the next 24 hours.

Wednesday, 21st October
3 pm – Hannah Takes the Stairs (dir. Joe Swanberg), 2007.
Recent graduate Hannah coasts from relationship to relationship, attempting to find some direction in her life. The film looks at the trials and frustrations of early adulthood.
5 pm – The Goodtimeskid (dir. Azazel Jacobs), 2005.
Free-spirited, rebellious and warm-hearted, The Goodtimeskid is a story about stolen love and stolen identities – shot on stolen film.

Thursday, 22nd October
3 pm – Dance Party, USA (dir. Aaron Katz), 2006.
Dance Party, USA, one of the more hard-hitting ‘mumblecore’ films, shows how a fleeting encounter between two apathetic teenagers develops into a more complex relationship following the revelation of a troubling secret.
5 pm – The Puffy Chair (dir. Jay Duplass), 2005.
While trying to figure out where his life went wrong, failed musician Josh comes up with an unusual and generous idea. The movie amusingly records his subsequent journey to collect a replica of an armchair from his childhood home, purchased on eBay, and its delivery to his father.

Friday, 23rd October
3 pm – Mutual Appreciation (dir. Andrew Bujalski), 2005.
The follow-up to Bujalski’s debut Funny Ha Ha, this film examines the relationship of an indie musician, Alan, and his old friend Lawrence, whose girlfriend threatens to come between the two young men.

Admission free. For more information please visit www.douglashydegallery.com