Berlinale. "Beeswax"

By David Hudson on 02/09/2009

It's a welcome experience, but an odd one nonetheless, seeing such a SXSW sort of film in Berlin in the dead of winter. Andrew Bujalski's "Beeswax" is even set in Austin and features a few recognizable faces from the local filmmaking scene: both Zellner brothers have small roles; so does Kyle Henry; but the stroke of casting that almost comes at us as a dare is that of the new SXSW Film producer herself, Janet Pierson, who - I mean, let's just go ahead and get this out of way - is quite believable as a family friend ready and willing to go to bat for Jeannie, who runs a vintage clothing store and may be facing a lawsuit from her business partner.

On the surface of things, the threat of that suit is what drives the narrative; it's the business of "Beeswax." Scratch that surface, though, and we find a story about twin sisters - Jeannie and Lauren, played by newcomers and real-life twins Tilly and Maggie Hatcher, both arresting screen presences (Bujalski credits Chantal Akerman, his advisor back his Harvard days, with discovering Maggie) - coming to terms with signs that life is about to nudge them along, out of a comfortable phase in which they've been sharing a house, neither has a serious boyfriend and their day jobs have been relatively undemanding and hassle-free. Soon enough, Lauren will be offered a job in Africa she'll feel she more or less has to take, Lauren may be falling for her old beau, Merrill, a law student cramming for the bar exam (Alex Karpovsky, more than up to the task of playing the anchor in the sisters' lives) and, if the lawsuit happens and gets ugly, she may lose the store.

Updated through 2/10.

Bujalski has told one interviewer that "Beeswax" is "like a legal thriller for anyone who finds 'legal thriller' to be an oxymoron." You could almost call it an anti-thriller. As far as Hollywood's concerned, it'd be a first act, ending when a Grishom adaptation would just be revving its engines. But that's a choice that works for "Beeswax," a film that's all about prepping for Act Two.

Now then. "Is it mumbly?" was the first and only question from a friend who'd planned to see "Beeswax" and wished to know nothing more. Well, yes and no. The dialogue has that way-people-really-talk quality but none of the quirk often associated with the M-movies. Refreshing enough, even if it lacks that sense of fresh discovery "Funny Ha Ha" offered back in 2002. The camera does not jitter, thankfully, but it also seems lighter, the editing a bit friskier than "Mutual Appreciation's" - gone, too, is the gorgeously grainy black-and-white of that 2006 film, as well as the depth and scope of its framing. But "Beeswax" is not about musicians who wander into loft parties. This is a modest story, modestly told, the facts of its characters' lives - even Jeannie's wheelchair - neither ignored nor embellished.

For first reactions in German, see Lukas Foerster (Perlentaucher) and Thomas Groh.

Update: "Andrew Bujalski's third film is another memorably natural character piece evoking the spirit of Rohmer, Cassavetes and Woody Allen in a uniquely young American style," writes Mike Goodridge in Screen. "Smart, sweet and deeply involving, 'Beeswax' will only enhance Bujalski's reputation with international critics and loyal fans."

Update, 2/10: Eugene Hernandez talks with Bujalski for indieWIRE.

Tags: Andrew Bujalski, Beeswax, Berlinale 2009