Not every low key independent film needs to have a quirky cast of characters going through quirky situations while set to a quirky and irreverent soundtrack. Writer-director Andrew Bujalski (Funny Ha Ha) seems to grasp this concept quite well and his latest film, Beeswax (finally coming to Toronto after a two year delay), is refreshingly devoid of quirk or any superfluous subtext. A lot of interesting things happen in this focused, yet plotless, film, but Bujalski doesn't try to make mountains out of molehills. This is a film about people living their lives that never once acknowledges that there is even an audience watching the film.
Beeswax follows the lives of twin sisters Jeannie (Tilly Hatcher) and Lauren (Maggie Hatcher) as they live out their mid-twenties in Austin, Texas with various complications. Jeannie is stuck in a bit of a rut at her vintage clothing store (which thankfully isn't played for any sort of hipsterish irony) due to an inattentive business partner (Anne Douglas) who is dangling an unspoken threat of a lawsuit over her head. The fact that Jeannie is still professional despite her job is a nice touch that many lesser films would choose to overlook. The fact that the film doesn't make a big deal out of the fact that Jeannie needs a wheelchair is practically revolutionary these days. It occasionally causes minor annoyance, but it is never made into any sort of plot point.
Lauren, on the other hand, is a little more aimless and scatterbrained, but no less intelligent than her sister. After dumping her boyfriend, she is still trying to find a job as a teacher with the help of her ex's brother. She also seems confused around men and is more openly flirtatious than her sister (which extends to her occasionally making googly eyes at Jeannie's pseudo-boyfriend-slash-legal-counsel, played by Alex Karpovsky).
The relationship between the sisters is a loving and carefree one. The only real moment of conflict or tension between the two of them comes in the second to last shot of the film, and it is handled wordlessly, with a single glance. It is so understated, yet so true to life, that the entire movie gels together with a single shot.
It is far to easy to bemoan the state of American "independent" films, but Bujaski is a writer and director with a definite voice and vision. Beeswax does not feel like a fictional film. Instead, it feels more like a documentary that could have been made by the Maysley brothers in their prime. At the same time, the film has a tight script that never loses a linear focus and the great performances across the board further ground the film in a sense of reality.
The title of the film feels like it is referring to the old saying that people should mind their own "beeswax." There are many key details that are never directly spelled out for the audience and the film is honestly better off without them. Bujaski simply wants the audience to know that they are in the company of generally good people living their lives with the same frustrations everyone can face on a day to day basis. The specifics are in no way more important than the characters or their situations. It is all very compelling and it might leave the viewer wanting more, but in the end it was really never any of our business to begin with.
Rating (out of four stars): ***1/2
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