Breaking Upwards is a very small and very sweet indie comedy about a young twenty-something couple in New York who love each other dearly but are getting somewhat bored with dating. They decide to begin to take 'days off' from dating to try to live independently. At first this is difficult as they both contact one anther non-stop on the phone, email and Internet. Ultimately they realize that they are drifting apart more and more and they have to come to terms with the reality of their individual single lives.
The film was made on a shoestring budget, but has a really nice feel about it. It's rather hand-made, but there is much more of a script and a structure than anything particularly mumblecore (it's not mumblecore at all - just low budget). It was co-written by lead actors Zoe Lister Jones and Daryl Wein (who also directed the picture) along with Peter Duchan - and the concept is really nice and well done. There is nothing fancy here other than good, if simple, story telling. The dialogue is very punchy and clever - and feels very natural for New Yorkers of this age and background.
I have to say, as much of a fan of mumblecore as I am, it's nice that there are still independent movies being made in New York that are not just mumble. The normalness of the form (the three-act structure and scenes with real beginnings and ends) is refreshing. At the same time, I think part of what's charming about this film is its smallness - the fact that there is an intimacy and a familiarity with the places and things we see. As good a concept as this is, I don't think it would work well as a bigger budget project. It would just feel fake and forced in such a situation.
I also have to mention, of course, the similarities between this and the recent German film that I loved, Everyone Else. They both deal with the same concept - two people who love each other but can't stay together - but in very different ways. They're interesting to see close to one another - especially because this one doesn't have the tragic, sad elements of the Everyone Else, and that one doesn't have the funny smallness of this one. I guess lightning can strike twice but have very different results.
Stars: 2.5 of 4
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