Jump to content

Mumblecore

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Mumblegore)
Not to be confused with Mumble rap.
Mumblecore
Years active2002–present
LocationUnited States
Major figures
Influences

Mumblecore is a subgenre of independent film[1][2] characterized by naturalistic acting and (sometimes improvised) dialogue, low budgets, an emphasis on dialogue over plot, and a focus on the personal relationships of young adults. Filmmakers associated with the genre include Andrew Bujalski, Lynn Shelton, the Duplass brothers Mark and Jay, Greta Gerwig, Aaron Katz, Joe Swanberg,[1][3][4] and Ry Russo-Young. In many cases, though, these directors reject the term.[5] The genre is a mostly American phenomenon.[6] The related term mumblegore has been used for films mixing the mumblecore and horror genres.[7]

Distinguishing characteristics

[edit]

Naturalism – both in performance and dialogue – is a key feature of almost all mumblecore films.[2] Early mumblecore films tended to feature non-professional actors;[1][2][8] however, later films have had more professional actors,[9] including major stars such as Anna Kendrick (Drinking Buddies and Happy Christmas) and Orlando Bloom (Digging for Fire). Some mumblecore films feature a prominent use of improvisation,[2][8] with the cast sharing script credits,[1] though some, like Andrew Bujalski's films, are mostly scripted.[10]

Director Lynn Shelton in 2012

Mumblecore films are generally produced with a low budget, which has ranged from several thousand to several million dollars as well as low production values.[8][11] Filming is done in real places, as opposed to studio sets or sound stages. Many of these films are shot digitally,[1][11] although Bujalski's films have all been shot on film.[12] Soundtracks tend to be limited, or nonexistent.[citation needed]

Mumblecore films tend to revolve around characters in their twenties and early thirties who are usually single, white, and fairly aimless in both their professional and personal lives.[11][13] Plots are often concerned with difficulties in romantic relationships, exacerbated by the characters' inability to articulate their own desires.[11]

Influences on mumblecore

[edit]

Films that have been described as influencing, or at least anticipating, the conventions of mumblecore include Girlfriends (1978), Manhattan (1979), My Dinner with Andre (1981),[14] Stranger Than Paradise (1984), Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989),[15] Slacker (1991), Clerks (1994), Go Fish (1994) and Before Sunrise (1995).[16][17] Directors cited as influences include Michelangelo Antonioni, Eric Rohmer,[18] Andrei Tarkovsky, Gus Van Sant, Richard Linklater, and John Cassavetes.[19]

Reality television, including what one critic called "the spring-break psychodrama of MTV's The Real World", has also been called an influence on mumblecore,[20] as has the 2001 BBC reality-TV-style mockumentary series The Office.[19]

Another often-cited influence on mumblecore is the profusion of cheaper filmmaking technology starting in the early 2000s,[20] such as the Panasonic AG-DVX100 video camera,[3] and desktop video editing software such as Final Cut Pro.[21]

History

[edit]

Bujalski has been described as the "Godfather of Mumblecore".[8] His 2002 directorial debut, Funny Ha Ha, is generally considered to be the first mumblecore film.[11]

The 2005 South by Southwest Film Festival screened a number of other films that came to be considered part of the mumblecore movement, including Bujalski's second film, Mutual Appreciation; The Puffy Chair, by Mark Duplass & Jay Duplass; and Kissing on the Mouth, by Joe Swanberg.[2][8][9][22] That festival was also the origin of the term "mumblecore": Eric Masunaga, a sound editor who has worked with Bujalski, coined the term one night at a bar during the festival, when asked to describe the similarities between those three films.[8] The term was first used publicly by Bujalski in an interview with IndieWire.[2][11] Bujalski has downplayed the existence of an organized "movement", however, and stated that he does not intentionally make "mumblecore" films.[5]

Film journalists have also referred to the genre collectively with the terms "bedhead cinema" and "Slackavetes" (a portmanteau derived from the title of Richard Linklater's dialogue-heavy, lo-fi 1990s film Slacker,[2] and the name of independent film director John Cassavetes).

In 2007, the IFC Center in New York City exhibited a ten-film series of mumblecore films, titled "The New Talkies: Generation D.I.Y."[2] The films shown were: Hannah Takes the Stairs, Funny Ha Ha, Kissing on the Mouth, The Puffy Chair, Dance Party USA, Quiet City, Hohokam, Team Picture, Mutual Appreciation, LOL, and Quietly On By, as well as the first season of Joe Swanberg and Kris Williams' web series Young American Bodies and a collection of short films dubbed "Mumbleshorts."

Legacy

[edit]

Some critics have stated that mumblecore ended around 2010, as the original crop of directors began making films with larger budgets, more diverse storylines, and a more conventional cinematic approach.[23][24] For this reason, films made since 2010 or so that retain an emphasis on naturalistic dialogue and plot are sometimes referred to as "post-mumblecore". Filmmakers who have been labelled as "post-mumblecore" include Amy Seimetz, Sean Price Williams, Alex Karpovsky, Alex Ross Perry and Kate Lyn Sheil.[25]

Influences on other genres

[edit]

The big-budget films Magic Mike (2012)[26] and its sequel Magic Mike XXL (2015)[27] have been described as having mumblecore elements due to their use of naturalistic dialogue. Some TV series, including the HBO series Girls (2012), Looking (2014) and Togetherness (2015), Euphoria (2019), and the Netflix series Easy (2017) have been called mumblecore-inspired, or, in the words of one critic, "mumbleshows".[13]

Horror films using mumblecore techniques have resulted in the term "mumblegore."[7] Films that have been described as "mumblegore" include Baghead (2008), The House of the Devil (2009), Entrance (2011), You're Next (2011), V/H/S (2012), The Sacrament (2013), and Creep (2014).[28][29] Directors associated with mumblegore cinema include Swanberg and Duplass, as well as Adam Wingard, Roxanne Benjamin, Ben Wheatley, the trio Radio Silence, Patrick Brice, Patrick Horvath, and Ti West.

A review of the independent quasi-documentary Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets, in which actors were served real alcohol and filmed interacting in improvised scenes in a recreated dive bar, noted that "the film may be the first-ever in a new 'stumblecore' genre, a risky fusion of indie-mumblecore and on-camera drunkenness."[30]

Outside the United States

[edit]

Mumblecore has not always been a strictly American phenomenon. Since about 2009, the Berlin Mumblecore movement has had its own manifesto, Sehr gutes Manifest. Berlin Mumblecore is not a reaction to the American hype so much as it is a reaction to the lack of reform in the German public financial support system for the film industry (Filmfoerderung). Crowdfunding is a new possibility to finance movie productions with small and very small budgets independently from restrictions of the German Filmfoerderung.[31]

In 2009, Jette Miller's Austern ohne Schale was screened in Berlin. In 2011, the movies Frontalwatte by Jakob Lass and Papa Gold by Tom Lass were released. The latter won several German film awards. 2012 saw the release of Klappe Cowboy by Timo Jacobs and Ulf Behrens, as well as the award-winning Heavy Girls [de] by Axel Ranisch.[32] In 2015, Malte Wirtz Voll Paula! had its theatrical release, having also been produced without film funding.[33] Since then he produced three more Mumblecore Films (Hard & Ugly, Only one day in Berlin, About Rita!) and the media called him one of the most active German directors.[34]

Filmography

[edit]

List of mumblecore films and television series

[edit]

List of mumblegore films

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f Hoberman, J. (August 14, 2007). "It's Mumblecore!". The Village Voice. Retrieved on July 27, 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Lim, Dennis (August 19, 2007). Mumblecore – The New Talkies: Generation DIY. The New York Times. Retrieved on July 27, 2008.
  3. ^ a b c Hubert, Andrea (May 19, 2007). "Andrea Hubert on the latest fad to hit the US indie film scene". The Guardian. Retrieved on July 27, 2008.
  4. ^ Harring, Michael (Sep 29, 2009). "Local Sightings Film Festival: An I-5 Road Trip and Other New Movies Debut Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine". The Seattle Weekly. Retrieved on Oct 7, 2009.
  5. ^ a b Gilbey, Ryan (2013-11-07). "Mumblecore: 'It was never a unified movement. There was no manifesto'". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  6. ^ "Where to begin with mumblecore". British Film Institute. 10 August 2015. Retrieved 2020-03-08.
  7. ^ a b "[Defining Mumblegore] Low Budget Found Footage Film CREEP Exemplifies a Lo-Fi Genre". Nightmare on Film Street. 2019-06-24. Retrieved 2019-07-26.
  8. ^ a b c d e f A Genre Worth Shouting About, The Independent. Retrieved June 2011.
  9. ^ a b Mumblecore meets the mainstream in Cyrus at Sundance, Guardian. Retrieved June 2011.
  10. ^ Bujalski's Beeswax Makes People Say Mumblecore, indieWire. Retrieved June 2011.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Youth Quake: Mumblecore Movies, New Yorker. Retrieved June 2011.
  12. ^ Coldiron, Phil (21 March 2013). "Middlegame: An Interview with Andrew Bujalski". Cinema Scope (54). Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  13. ^ a b Yoshida, Emily (January 12, 2015). "Shows about nothing: Togetherness and HBO's Sunday night mumblecore block". The Verge.
  14. ^ Rudi, Mariella (11 October 2021). "'My Dinner With André' at 40: Still Serving Hot Takes". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021. It became a blueprint for intimate, meandering movies like Richard Linklater's "Before" trilogy; the navel-gazing mumblecore genre; and semi-autobiographical shows from "Curb Your Enthusiasm" to "Ramy."
  15. ^ "sex, lies and videotape at 30: how Steven Soderbergh changed independent cinema". the Guardian. August 19, 2019.
  16. ^ Taubin, Amy (November–December 2007). "Mumblecore: All Talk?". Film Comment.
  17. ^ "Movie movements that defined cinema: Mumblecore". Empire Online. August 8, 2016.
  18. ^ Harbour, Edwanike (3 August 2015). "20 Great Mumblecore Movies Every Indie Lover Should See".
  19. ^ a b "Alicia Van Couvering on the "Mumblecore" Movement - Filmmaker Magazine - Spring 2007". www.filmmakermagazine.com.
  20. ^ a b Dollar, Steve (August 17, 2007). "Reality Never Looked So ... Real". The New York Sun. Archived from the original on May 3, 2008. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  21. ^ Wagner, Brigitta (June 2011). "Accidental Cinema and the YouTube Sublime: An Interview with Joe Swanberg". Senses of Cinema.
  22. ^ Mumblecore Goes Mainstream, Variety. Retrieved June 2011.
  23. ^ Rizov, Vadim (July 25, 2013). "Everything You Need To Know About Mumblecore Filmmakers Today". Indiewire.
  24. ^ Daily Film Dose: Alexander The Last, The Movie That Killed Mumblecore, Reece Crothers, August 26, 2010
  25. ^ Dawson, Nick (July 23, 2012). "92YTRIBECA'S POST-MUMBLECORE LA DI DA FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCED". Filmmaker Magazine.
  26. ^ Davies, Laura (July 17, 2012). "ELLE Film Club: Magic Mike". ElleUK.com.
  27. ^ Reed, Rex (July 8, 2015). "Channing Tatum Slips Into His Sweaty Thong Once More, But the Thrill Is Gone". Observer.
  28. ^ a b c d Nicholson, Amy. "Mumblegore". Los Angeles Weekly. Archived from the original on 2014-09-01. Retrieved 2013-11-12.
  29. ^ Collis, Clark (2013-09-17). "'You're Next': How a group of indie filmmakers produced one of 2013's most terrifying movies". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  30. ^ Glenn, Ezra Haber (December 10, 2020). "Film Review: Last Call for Lost Souls — "Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets"". The Arts Fuse. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  31. ^ "Acthung Berlin 2012 wrapup: The talks. Berlin Film Central. Berlin News and Indie Film Making in Berlin. 2012-04-24, retrieved in December 2012". Berlin Film Central. Archived from the original on 2014-12-18. Retrieved 2014-11-24.
  32. ^ Denis Demmerle: Eine neue Schule. In: Berliner Filmfestivals. 2012-04-28, retrieved in December 2012
  33. ^ "Das unabhängige Filmemachen. 2017-11-08".
  34. ^ "Programmkino, Filme, Kritiken, Kunstkino, Arthouse-Kino, AG Kino-Gilde". www.programmkino.de.
  35. ^ "'Hannah Takes the Stairs' and the Coalescence of Mumblecore". The Film Stage. 2017-08-22. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
  36. ^ "What Was Mumblecore? Part 4: FROWNLAND | The-Solute".
  37. ^ Herrington, Chris (March 6, 2008). "Mumblecore": A new new-wave showcase at the Brooks Archived 2007-11-21 at the Wayback Machine. Memphis Flyer. Retrieved on August 20, 2008.
  38. ^ Dollar, Steve (July 25, 2008). "Mumblecore Meets Grindhouse in 'Baghead'". The New York Sun. Retrieved on July 27, 2008.
  39. ^ Pais, Matt (July 31, 2008). Search of a Midnight Kiss' review. Metromix. Retrieved on August 20, 2008.
  40. ^ Burr, Ty (May 23, 2008). "It's their scene at Cannes – The Boston Globe". Boston.com. Retrieved on August 21, 2008.
  41. ^ "What I Meant To Say". Filmmaker Magazine. Summer 2008. Retrieved on August 20, 2008.
  42. ^ Kohn, Eric (April 8, 2011). "REVIEW: Greta Gerwig Is a Mumblecore Prop in "Arthur"". Indiewire. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  43. ^ Muñoz, Marc (October 30, 2012). "Bocados de realidad en primera instancia". El Destilador Cultural. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  44. ^ "Balls of Steel™: A New World in Distribution - Goodbye Promise Releases on IndieGoGo". Writer's Digest. 16 August 2012.
  45. ^ A Short-Term Affair Leads to Big Questions, New York Times. Retrieved June 2011.
  46. ^ Jones, Michael (January 19, 2009). "Magnolia gets Shelton's 'Humpday'". Variety. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
  47. ^ "Beeswax Movie Reviews, Pictures – Rotten Tomatoes". Rottentomatoes.com. 7 August 2009. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  48. ^ Cabin, Chris (May 13, 2010). "Daddy Longlegs". Filmcritic.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  49. ^ Harvey, Dennis (2009-10-19). "Review: 'Sorry, Thanks'". Variety. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  50. ^ Lucas, Matthew (March 18, 2010). "Review: "The Exploding Girl"". From the Front Row. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  51. ^ Sharkey, Betsy (April 9, 2010). "'Breaking Upwards'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  52. ^ "8 Mumblecore Films to Scratch Your Rom-Com Itch". Vulture. 19 August 2013.
  53. ^ "Sundance Review: The Freebie". Film School Rejects. January 27, 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  54. ^ "Short takes: 'Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench,' 'Jews and Baseball,' 'Outside the Law'". Nydailynews.com. November 5, 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  55. ^ Schager, Nick (October 31, 2010). "Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench | Film Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  56. ^ Piotrowski, Angeline (July 29, 2010). "Traverse City Film Festival: Tiny Furniture Sweet Talks Traverse City". MyNorth. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  57. ^ ".: FESTIVALES de Buenos Aires :". Bafici.gov.ar. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  58. ^ "Overlook (2010)". YouTube. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
  59. ^ "Too Cool". The New Yorker. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  60. ^ Dickson, Evan (2012-05-17). "[Interview] 'Entrance' Directors Dallas Richard Hallam And Patrick Horvath On Budget, Slashers And Shooting Los Angeles". DreadCentral. Retrieved 2013-11-12.
  61. ^ "MDMAFILMS". October 17, 2021.
  62. ^ Jones, Tamika (September 21, 2014). "Indie Spotlight". Daily Dead. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  63. ^ Linden, Sheri (November 5, 2011). "The Color Wheel: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  64. ^ "Conversations with Frances Ha: The Intersection Between Sally Rooney's Millennial Fiction and Greta Gerwig's Mumblecore Classic". October 26, 2019.
  65. ^ Rabin, Nathan (October 18, 2012). "Nobody Walks". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  66. ^ Stewart, Henry (2012-09-12). "Sun Don't Shine: Mumblecore With a Gun". L Magazine. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  67. ^ Osenlund, R. Kurt (2012-07-28). "A GLANCE AT NEWFEST 2012". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  68. ^ von Busack, Richard (2012-08-01). "Demon Slayer (Film Review of Ivy League Exorcist: The Bobby Jindal Story)". Metro Silicon Valley. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  69. ^ Kelly, Stephen (2013-10-28). "Drinking Buddies". Total Film. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  70. ^ Schmader, David (May 1, 2013). "Festive: Seattle True Independent Film Festival 2013". The Stranger. Retrieved on May 1, 2013.
  71. ^ Ostria, Vincent (June 3, 2014). "Swim Little Fish Swim". Les Inrockuptibles. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  72. ^ Reed, Rex (July 30, 2014). "High Holidays: 'Happy Christmas' Is a Mumblecore Mess That Tanks in Desperation". The New York Observer. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  73. ^ "Sulemani Keeda" – via www.imdb.com.
  74. ^ "Mumblecore Master Joe Swanberg Sets Star-Studded Comedic Anthology Series at Netflix". The Hollywood Reporter. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
  75. ^ "En attendant Violette" – via www.allocine.fr.
  76. ^ "Friends, Foes & Fireworks Film Details" – via IMDB.
  77. ^ "Importance (of us) - Official Trailer (2018)". September 29, 2017. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21 – via YouTube.
  78. ^ "Only One Day in Berlin" – via mubi.com.
  79. ^ "The Christmas Ride (2020)".
  80. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (30 September 2021). "Freshman Year review – mortifying mumblecore look at a student hookup". The Guardian.
  81. ^ "Cinedigm Acquires Microbudget Feature 'Yelling Fire in an Empty Theater' for Streaming on Fandor (EXCLUSIVE)". 18 January 2023.
  82. ^ Collis, Clark. "'You're Next': How a group of indie filmmakers produced one of 2013's most terrifying movies". EW.com. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  83. ^ a b Parsons, Spencer. "Mumblecore and Murder". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  84. ^ a b c d e f g h "11 Mumblegore Movies You Need To See". Westword.com. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  85. ^ a b c d e f Trujillo, Eduardo (7 June 2015). "10 Great Mumblegore Movies That Horror Fans Will Enjoy Watching". Taste of Cinema. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  86. ^ Armstrong, Olivia (2 July 2014). "Decider Essentials: Top 10 Mumblecore Films to Stream". Decider.com. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  87. ^ Jaime M., Christley (31 January 2012). "Kill List". Slant. Slant Magazine.
  88. ^ a b c Roffman, Michael (18 September 2014). "The State of Horror Films in 2014: A Roundtable Discussion". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  89. ^ Faraci, Devin. "Movie Review: ENTRANCE Is The Worst Kind Of Mumblegore Tedium". Birth.Movies.Death. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  90. ^ Fonte, Bears. "HONEYMOON: Leigh Janiak's trip into Male-Dominated Cabin-In-The-Woods Territory". AM-FM. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  91. ^ "BAG BOY LOVER BOY (2014)". CULTURE CRYPT. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  92. ^ "Shudder Exclusive: We Go On Review - Arty Horror". www.cgmagonline.com. 22 February 2017. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  93. ^ "The Alchemist Cookbook Blends Mumblecore with Horror". The Stranger. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  94. ^ "'ANOTHER EVIL' (2017) Review | Silver Screen Riot". Silver Screen Riot. 2017-05-02. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  95. ^ "Das Böse im Wald".
[edit]
Retrieved from "http://en.wiki.x.io/w/index.php?title=Mumblecore&oldid=1257221737"