Indie Grows Up

I'll start this review with a little digression about the nature of indie, because I seem to be falling deeply in love with the digression as a way to make an incredibly convoluted point in my reviews. So I've come to the conclusion that many may have already reached, namely that there is a difference between indie kids and people who are really and truly Indie (not Indiana Jones, just capital-I-for-emphasis Indie) and that difference is the element of self-consciousness. Indie kids are the type of kid who go out of their way to be wacky and alternative and generally different in a quirky way, because they think it will make them appear cool and therefore give their lives meaning. Then there's a subcategory of individuals who do so in a semi-ironic fashion, known as hipsters, who focus more on the absurdist/awful side of being different and seek to showcase their own good taste by pretending to enjoy things that are clearly awful; the danger here is an overdose of irony that leaves none of the original good taste (if there ever was any) visible, resulting in walking caricatures. And lastly we have the core of my argument, that there is a type of person who is really and truly Indie, but they achieve this distinction by being so naturally and effortlessly indie that they actually cease to be considered as such (it also helps that their taste tends more towards the whimsical and unusual in such an ingrained fashion that their breed of indie is nowhere nearly as offensive as their irksome wanna-be counterparts). And it is because these people cease to be considered indie that their distinction is so ephemeral, yet every bit as pleasurable as what the first type of indie kid strives to be. The word "indie" has been looking weird on the page for a while now, so let's get to the review.

For a case in point demonstration of these different breeds of alternative lifestyle, please see "Juno" and then today's film, "Away We Go." "Juno" has become the quintessential indie movie because it tries so goddamned hard to be quirky; the quirk is forced. I actually found the movie enjoyable (minus soundtrack), but the after-hype and surrounding cult have become unbearable. Keeping all this previous history in mind, as well as my views on the subject of indie kids, it's understandable that I thought "Away We Go" would be similarly forced. The posters looked very "Juno"-cutscene-esque, and the trailer made it seem way depressing. So I entered said film with more than my fair share of usual skepticism, and was blown away. Not only does "Away We Go" diverge from indie stereotypes by being so naturally and subtly quirky, but it also centers on a pair of whimsical kids (who happen to be adults) growing up, further removing us from the angsty adolescent world of the stereotypical indie kid. And my god is it well told, as a story: full of fear and trepidations and joy and old friends and generally possibly the most hopeful take on growing up that my young mind has had the good fortune to stumble upon in these impressionable times when that part of the future looks really fucking scary. You'd probably like some plot now: John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph are a charming interracial couple about to have a baby. When John's parents abandon them indirectly/passively by deciding to move away, the two find themselves footloose and fancy free to go off and find a neighborhood to raise the baby. This leads to a road trip of visiting old friends and acquaintances and trying to come to terms with Real Life kicking in the door of their peaceful, simple indie-without-trying existence. Some of it is hilariously awkward, some of it just plain funny in an adversarial sense, some admittedly contrived (one joke in particular, but it's one of the best), but mostly just heartwarming, and with a large dose of pathos/sensitivity. Krasinski and Rudolph do great work here, and the script is outstanding (I figure that if I notice how fine and natural the dialogue is without feeling forced, it must be a baller screenplay, so hats off to you Dave Eggers). And the movie is also nicely shot and composed, lots of good colors and a cooly colored atmosphere, and the soundtrack is subtly indie, lots of one dude who has a mellow voice and is very accomplished with his acoustic fingerpicking ways.

That's not to say that there aren't a few overly drawn out segments, and that the side-characters are perfect and as real as our heroes, but it's not every movie that can make the bleak adventure of growing up seem so fun and exciting. The movie is best summed up in a final scene, where John is on a trampoline late at night, making phone calls on a friend's behalf in an angry way, when Maya goes and finds him, then the two have a ever-so-slightly quirky conversation that's actually quite deep and forward-looking, and then they fall asleep. There's something so poetic, I can't really do justice to the floaty feeling of deep contentment I had for the rest of the evening, nor the sense of excitement I feel for that period of my life, still yet to come. So the bottom line is go and see this movie, it's soul-warming and uplifting and funny, and will hopefully elevate your spirits for a few days down the line.

That's all from me for now, peep the Tartar Sauce for my first official posting with those guys. This one just seemed a little closer to the Mind the Bats heart, so I decided to give us some business. But don't worry, even though I'm doing some writing with them now I'll still come back to my roots with regularity, dropping things like this on you, the strange little indie films that I so adore and my odd rants. Because I remember where I'm from. Closing time now, gents, last rounds.