Jolly July

A couple of years ago I saw a movie that immediately catapulted it’s way into my all time top ten favorite movies. It washed over me like a breath of fresh air due to it’s delicate yet quirky approach of a very contemporary theme namely, human connection. The film in question is Me and You and Everyone We Know and was the debut feature-length film by Miranda July. The film won the Caméra d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

In this day and age where the methods of communication seem endless, people are becoming more and more alienated due to this convenient fact. Some have even lost the reason to leave their houses. Alienation and loneliness in this digital age are the cornerstones of this refreshingly original yet minimalistic movie. The title alone already suggest July’s attempt to rekindle a connection between people in it’s purest form, that being face to face (and no, web cams don’t count). This message is intertwined with the lives of a single father and his two sons (one of them creates the most endearingly gross moment ever to be caught on celluloid), a performance artist (July herself) who pursues him, his coworker who is teasingly taunted by two teenage girls, a couple who finds love in their seventies and a girl that dreams of her future kitchen.

The dialogue is subtle yet poignant while the atmospheric shots capture emotion and longing, something Hollywood pictures can only dream of. July weaved this all together with sincere understanding, tender comedy, hope and finesse and in doing so has created an uplifting bitter sweet independent gem that blindsides you, leaving you feeling different, enlightened and possibly even improved.

Miranda July, whose debut is ever so reminiscent of a more hopeful yet equally offbeat version of Todd Solondz (Happiness, watch it! That’s an order), started her career as a performance artist and has now also published her first book, a collection of short stories: No One Belongs Here More Than You.

It is an extraordinary startling, sexy, and tender collection filled with seemingly insignificant yet life-altering experiences and awkward characters that are portrayed with compassion and generosity. July reveals their idiosyncrasies and the odd logic and longing that govern their lives. Each story bristles with creative energy leading you down a seductive, sometimes creepy, often tragic, occasionally absurd path filled with fragile yet beautifully soothing magic.

To top this all off she has created a wonderfully original narrative website to promote her book that intricately accomplishes her primary objective namely read, damn you, read! Instead of looking at the pretty pictures, that is. Once again she proves that she has a spectacularly original and compelling take on the world.

And for those who are interested (or have girlfriends who are), she has a new exhibition of her Learning To Love You More project opening on August 24th until September 30th in the MU in Eindhoven.