Peter's Film Viewing Journal (Beeswax)

An attempt to write my random and initial thoughts for every film (of note) that I see, especially retrospective selections I have viewed on the big screen, with little editing and lots of brevity and focusing on thoughts/reaction, not criticism; taking the tone of "notes to self".

Beeswax
2009
Directed By: Andrew Bujalski
Screened @ Symphony Space in NYC

Finally saw Beeswax at Symphony Space. Nice theater, the Leonard Nimoy - they have what kind of amounts to a long couch in the middle of the space. We had it to ourselves. Melissa took her shoes off and pretty much laid down. Felt strange to get that comfortable in a theater. But that's what was cool.

There is too much to say about this film and I simply don't have the proper means of expressing it properly. I really feel like people don't fully understand what Bujalski has done here.

I feel like I watched a movie without performances, which make them, in actuality, absolutely incredible performances. Particularly the Hatcher twins and Anne Dodge, who I think should get some supporting actress, end of the year nods, but won't, because as I said - It doesn't feel like she is performing AT ALL. There were some scenes that I was simply astounded at the tone and level of reality. But what was really amazing for me was the way that Bujalski was able to slide in and carry out the narrative completely "under the radar"; so much so that people might actually not even realize that it was "written". This, to me, is an incredible accomplishment.

Melissa, had an interesting reaction to the film. She said she didn't like any of the characters except the Asian girl (Atietie Tonwe) that came in in the end of the film just for a moment. She felt like she was the only person that was different from the others, that all the other characters where exactly the same and that she suspected that Bujalski would have molded her into being like the others if he had more time with her, but because she was only in it for a moment, she had her own personality and that none of the other characters did.

She didn't like any of the characters, thought they had no "real reaction" to anything that was happening, and hated that there was no resolution. "But I was engaged throughout the whole thing," she said. I asked her why. She took some time and said, "I don't know."

When I was in film school, in the mid 90s, I spouted on about how I thought the next step to strive for in performance would be one in which the actors are totally not even talking for the camera in any way, that they are just talking only for each other, to the extent that the audience could actually think they are not even trying to be heard by the mic. I felt that this would lead to a greater reality in the film, so long as other convention tools were not discarded. (I have, since then, tried this to some extent in my own films) People totally didn't get what I was talking about. But now I feel like the evolution of Bujalski's films has lead to this film, which is, in a way, what I was dreaming of back then. As an audience member this is very exciting to me.

-Peter Rinaldi