Tiny Furniture Review
I chose to watch this film on Netflix for two reasons: 1. I had heard about the hype surrounding it and wanted to see if it would live up to it and 2. because the narrative about a recently graduated college (university) student is pretty relatable to me being in the last year of my university course. I happy to say that the film definitely did live up to the hype, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an original, funny and in the end heartwarming film.
The story follows a 21 year old girl called Aura who has just graduated from university and is back living with her mum and younger sister. The film basically revolves around her as she tries to figure out what she wants to do with her life. While some critics may argue that Aura's situation is not as bad as she makes out, considering her mum is wealthy and she has a home to stay in, it is still a problem for a lot of young people including myself. The film is extremely dialogue driven, and employs some of the techniques used in the Mumblecore film movement i.e naturalistic dialogue and an improvised style of acting. This film however is not Mumblecore as it has a tightly written script, which is in fact written AND directed by Lena Dunham who actually plays the main character Aura, especially impressive when the fact she is only 26 is considered.
As the film is dialogue driven, it needs to make sure that it is well done, which is it. The dialogue is extremely intelligent, witty and uses a Wes Anderson sense of deadpan humour to really give it it's own feel. All of the actors, non of whom are widely known, play excellent roles, especially the lead, and the hilarious Ashlynn played by Amy Seimetz, who carries a hysterical sense of self importance and pretentiousness about her. Speaking of pretentious, some people may be put off the film by its 'indie' roots and somewhat artsy style, don't be put off as the film is massively down to earth and never self indulgent. This goes even as far as having the main character consciously show off her body, which is one of the most talked about things regarding this film. Lena Dunham's body does not conform to the stereotypes of Hollywood, she isn't skinny, she doesn't have the 'perfect' hour glass figure, and she is covered in tattoos. She however does show off her body, in all, and I mean all of its glory, I think this is a massive step forward in the right direction, showing purposefully her perceived flaws just makes the film even more real, and makes the genuineness of the characters shine through.
While not much happens in the film, the narrative kept me engaged throughout the running time, and the ending, while im not going to spoil it, was absolutely perfect. Lena is a young and talented directors/actor and she has a bright future ahead of her if this film is anything to go by. A wonderful indie gem that will make you feel great about anything that is bothering you through its sweet charm and down to earth attitude. Watch it now on Netflix US
9/10
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