Allison Anders’ Non Britpop Movie

The director of "Gas, Food Lodging" is raising funds for a new film about twentysomethings in the Los Angeles music scene.

Music has always been a major element of Allison Anders’ films. “Border Radio,” “Grace of My Heart” and “Sugar Town” are actually about musicians. “Sugar Town” is named after a Nancy Sinatra song and features John Taylor of Duran Duran, Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet and John Doe of X in major roles. The lead character of “Things Behind the Sun” (named after a Nick Drake song) is about a music journalist who tracks down a childhood friend turned rising rock star.

“Things Behind the Sun” came out in 2001, and Anders hasn’t done a film since, directed instead episodes of “The L Word” and “What About Brian” and founding the Don’t Knock The Rock Film And Music Festival. But she has a new project with longtime collaborator Kurt Voss up on Kickstarter:

“Strutter” tells the story of 22 year old BRETT (Flannery Lunsford), a singer for a Los Angeles rock band who finds himself heartbroken when he loses his muse JUSTINE (Ericka Clevenger) to his own local idol, the fast-ascending art rocker DAMON (Dante White). But with the support of his filmmaker gal pal REGGIE (Elyse Hollander) , Brett not only learns to love again, he comes to form an oddly simpatico friendship with former romantic rival Damon. Along the way, Brett also learns to better understand his parents’ odd marriage, and the complications and compromises that come with adulthood.

The lo-fi black and white look of the trailer isn’t the only thing that recalls the ’90s — Justine? Damon? Brett? Could these characters be named for my favorite Britpop love triangle of the era, when Justine Frischmann left Suede and its lead singer Brett Anderson, formed Elastica and took up with Blur’s Damon Albarn? “Stutter” was the name of one of Elastica’s big singles, but “Strutter,” a KISS song, might be more appropriate for a film about aspiring LA rockers.

No idea who “Reggie” is named for, though.