One of my favourite things about independent cinema is its ability to perch itself in the background, it does not throw anything in your face and to an extent is doesn’t demand anything from you; what it or don’t watch it, like it or don’t like it, ultimately it puts the decisions is the palm of its viewer.
From time to time I like to put a film on that I
know nothing about: cast, storyline, awards won, director, nothing. So many
times I hear the phrase “I went in expecting the film to be...”, I myself am guilty
of it and one of the beautiful things about cinema is its ability to challenge
your expectations and preconceptions. Some of my favourite films have been
participants of my Blind Projects; Oldboy, The 400 Blows and The Other Guys. I
love that feeling of the unknown, but knowing your safe in a dark room rather
than exploring an underwater cave 1000 metres below sea level where, if cinema
has taught me anything, you are traditionally NOT SAFE!
Today my blind screening of choice was Jeff Who
Lives at Home.
Jeff is 30, he resides the in the basement of his
mother’s home, he seeks for meaning in everything and is just 1 member of a 3
tiered dysfunctional family. Jeff’s mother, Sharon, is a widower, insecure and
frustrated and is the recipient of a secret admirer. Jeff’s brother, Pat, is
the stereotypical male; he doesn’t listen, he hagrides his wife and he just
used their savings to buy a Porsche. This is a story of 3 very disconnected and
different individuals who unite on the path to happiness.
Jeff is a character who you love to hate; he is
lazy, unambitious, unmotivated and is submerged in a reality disconnected from
society in which everything is something. However, his idealism is endearing.
He seeks comfort in wisdom and excitement in discovering the source of the
universe, because for Jeff everything is the progeny of a singularity. Jeff’s
exploration for the bigger picture is on a academically adolescent level, and
it all starts with Kevin. However, on route to discovering Kevin Jeff,
unintentionally, he is the catalyst to solving the greater issues that afflict
his family.
For me, one of the greatest relationships in this
film is the love affair Sharon develops with an online secret admirer. For
those of you who intend of watching this film I will not divulge the identity
of the anonymous romantic but their identity is irreverent anyway, well
somewhat. I loved watching Sharon grow from a frustrated middle aged mother
into a sexual being, free of the worry of her descendents but now anxious her
aging appearance. In a weird way it reminded me of Clueless’ Miss Geist, but a
little less... clueless.
I rarely found myself “laughing out loud” during
this film; however, the spontaneous acts of Jeff and Pat would ensure a smile
remained upon my face. When the vertically well endowed Jeff hides behind the
vending machine and his curly hair protrudes over the top or even when Jeff
attempts to “bust down” a hotel door, I found myself smirking at the absurdity
of it. However, Jeff's most significant act comes at the end of the film and is
the action that unifies his family both emotionally and physically, as he dives
into the river to rescue a floundering car. When he and Pat head back towards
shore where Sharon awaits them, I felt myself well up but not cry and I think
this is what is so poignant about this film, it never pushes you over the edge
but places you at the cliff point.
If you want to be laughing your arse off (or LMAO
as someone told me recently), or even sobbing your heart out (SMHO, I just made
that up!) this is not the film for you. Jeff Who Lives at Home is an
emotionally subtle film; I never laughed out loud (LOL) or cried but teetered
on the edge of both. I did love this film and have subsequently found myself
writing probably one of my more serious blogs to date.
So to rectify this:
SUSAN SARANDON KISSES ANOTHER WOMAN!!!!!!! Phew,
now I feel better!
