Quiet City
2007 Directed by Aaron Katz
Synopsis
Jamie is 21. She's from Atlanta. She's come to Brooklyn to visit her friend Samantha, but she can't find her. Jamie meets a stranger named Charlie on the subway and spends 24 hours hanging out with him.
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At any one point in my life there are only 10 to 15 films that I consider to be infinitely rewatchable. There are many films that I'll watch perhaps once a year, but there are comparatively few that I'll watch more than that. My list fluctuates and morphs as my tastes and interests evolve. Some films are branded on my brain, and they continuously call me back; Quiet City is one of those films.
A mumblecore anthem for a profoundly disaffected generation of insatiable seekers. Sentimental and romantic, but also deeply honest, beautifully captured and scored. The ethos is ex Cassavetes with a flair for modish and gritty impressionism. He carefully arranges Brooklyn before the camera, layer upon layer until…
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Quiet City follows 24 hours in the life of Jamie and Charlie, two strangers who meet at a New York subway station. She is supposed to meet a friend, who doesn't show. He is a directionless slacker who's been hibernating since his last girlfriend moved states. With nothing but time and nothing to do the pair bond through a series of events culminating in an art gallery after party.
This is another Aaron Katz movie about finding connections with other human beings. Across the awkward 24 hours these two go from being total strangers to perhaps realising that they have found a kindred spirit.
This is nothing new but Katz and his two main actors (both given writing credits presumably…
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Because no one demanded it, here's some more "mumblecore"...
Being a brief sketch of two friendly people forming a brief connection, the very nature of this movie means that it is pleasant yet forgettable. It is a movie designed (like the relationship of the main characters themselves) to be a fond memory more than to actually be experienced, which is a neat trick.
It's way better shot than any of the "mumblecore" stuff I've seen so far, in that it looks like an actual movie. And it's a very realistic portrayal of an encounter that might actually happen. So there's that.
On the other hand, I watch movies to escape reality, so watching two people do something I could very easily do if I ever actually wanted to get off the couch seems... wasteful, somehow...
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Quiet City follows 24 hours in the life of Jamie and Charlie, two strangers who meet at a New York subway station. She is supposed to meet a friend, who doesn't show. He is a directionless slacker who's been hibernating since his last girlfriend moved states. With nothing but time and nothing to do the pair bond through a series of events culminating in an art gallery after party.
This is another Aaron Katz movie about finding connections with other human beings. Across the awkward 24 hours these two go from being total strangers to perhaps realising that they have found a kindred spirit.
This is nothing new but Katz and his two main actors (both given writing credits presumably…
-
Because no one demanded it, here's some more "mumblecore"...
Being a brief sketch of two friendly people forming a brief connection, the very nature of this movie means that it is pleasant yet forgettable. It is a movie designed (like the relationship of the main characters themselves) to be a fond memory more than to actually be experienced, which is a neat trick.
It's way better shot than any of the "mumblecore" stuff I've seen so far, in that it looks like an actual movie. And it's a very realistic portrayal of an encounter that might actually happen. So there's that.
On the other hand, I watch movies to escape reality, so watching two people do something I could very easily do if I ever actually wanted to get off the couch seems... wasteful, somehow...
-
At any one point in my life there are only 10 to 15 films that I consider to be infinitely rewatchable. There are many films that I'll watch perhaps once a year, but there are comparatively few that I'll watch more than that. My list fluctuates and morphs as my tastes and interests evolve. Some films are branded on my brain, and they continuously call me back; Quiet City is one of those films.
A mumblecore anthem for a profoundly disaffected generation of insatiable seekers. Sentimental and romantic, but also deeply honest, beautifully captured and scored. The ethos is ex Cassavetes with a flair for modish and gritty impressionism. He carefully arranges Brooklyn before the camera, layer upon layer until…