By Britt Perkins
I like the way that “mumblecore” rolls off the tongue. It’s a term that has come to define a group of films made in the last decade. They represent the self-reflexivity of a generation as seen through an ultra low budget lens.
The Puffy Chair, a film by the Duplass Brothers, is a staple of every mumblecore roll call I’ve found.
It’s about boy who takes a road trip to get a big, fat chair and subsequently delivers it at the feet of his father, like a ratty chipmunk being brought home by a proud tom.
But it’s really about relationships, as mumblecore is expected to be.
In the beginning, Josh is going to take the trip alone, pop in for a quick hello to his brother, and proceed to his hometown. Instead he concedes to his girlfriend’s tantrum and brother’s guilt trip and a personal odyssey turns into a group endeavor.
Along the way, the triangular and sometimes polygonal dynamics are explored by extreme, handheld close-ups.
It really lets you get in there. The dialogue is simple so the faces have to speak for themselves. And they do.
Though the characters are stereotypical (the hippie brother, the bitchy girlfriend, the good guy), as in most movies, the simplicity of the shots and emphasis on the human element was relatable and cozy.
Oh, and it has a well-timed and executed soundtrack of some goodies.
Tags: duplass brothers • mumblecore • the puffy chair