When does arty ambiguity become indie garbage?
‘Me and You…‘ is an ensemble piece written and directed by visual artist Miranda July. Think a less dark, less on the nose Little Children. Unsurprisingly coming from the pen of a visual artist, ‘Me and You…‘ often feels more like a series of vignettes rather than one whole which makes for a disconnecting and frustrating viewing experience akin to the overrated Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and at it’s worst it even evokes the waffling nonsense of Terrence Malick.
This is a shame because underneath the pretentiousness there are some genuinely brilliant concepts and scenes. The drawing that inspires the title is a stand out moment and it also features the films best actors. Miles Thompson and Brandon Ratcliff are excellent as two young brothers but John Hawkes does nothing to show he is capable of carrying a full movie and none of these characters feel particularly fleshed out or realistic. The average man in the street often complains of a detachment between modern art and real life and Miranda July’s directorial debut does nothing to reduce that chasm. There is little here to hook someone in and whilst it was probably raved about in arty circles, in reality the finished product is an average and at times quite boring movie.
One high point however is the hypnotic and largely excellent score. Michael Andrews is also responsible for the iconic Donnie Darkosoundtrack and he brings an air of class to a film that perhaps isn’t deserving of such musical gravitas.
‘Me and You…‘ crams in as much philosophical dialogue as possible and while this grates after a while, there are a few nice visual flourishes that keep things interesting. The problem is that the market is flooded with quirky indie flicks and ‘Me and You…‘ just isn’t different enough or heartfelt enough to be truly memorable or enjoyable.