Mutual Appreciation

Director: Andrew Bujalski

Starring: Justin Rice, Rachel Clift, Andrew Bujalski, Seung-Min Lee

After the split-up of his band, the Bumblebees, Alan tries to move on to a solo rock carrier. Once in Brooklyn, he quickly manages to book a gig. During a radio interview with Sara to promote his concert, he lets her know that he has no drummer; but Sara's brother Dennis is one. Thus, Alan gets to spend some time with Sara, who does not hide her attraction to him. This turns out to be a problem when Alan decides he does not want to get involved with her. In parallel to his music life, which he tries to stay focused on, Alan spends his down time with his old friend and grad student Lawrence, and Lawrence's girlfriend Ellie.

After Ray, Walk the Line, etc., Mutual Appreciation could have been yet another film about musicians and how music changes one's life - but director Andrew Bujalski manages to give a new life to the genre: instead of considering the film as a pretext for the music, he uses music as a cinematographic tool. In Alan's life, everything is changing rapidly - from the split-up of his band to his complicated friendships - but the one constant, and the one thing the spectator can get back to with safety, is rock-music. In order to get this message through, Mutual Appreciation needed powerful and meaningful music, able to convey changes in Alan's life as well as being simple variations on the rock constant. And it got it - thanks to various music writers including lead actor, Justin Rice.

Music, thus, is central to a film that is not, ultimately, about music. The same schema appears in the theme of the film - friendship, and, obviously, mutual appreciation. The film is one of these rare pearls that manages to show the greatness of friendship over relationship without falling into clichés or overdoing it. It is like endearing memories of your own personal friendships - and that's where Andrew Bujalski's flawless directing comes in. Shooting in black and white was a stroke of genius, as it makes us identify with this story, as though they were our own family film. Most of the actors are newcomers, and will be remembered for giving refreshing performances of people who, by the end of the film, have become our friends.

Refreshing as a nice little piece of rock, is what qualifies this film best.

Pierre Schramm