Indie films not indie enough

By Kylie Jane Wakefield
Collegian Editor
January 31, 2007

Hollywood. Every year, so many high-octane action thrillers, gory horror films, terribly acted dramas and lackluster comedies come out of Tinseltown, making millions at the box office and causing me to lose faith in the film industry. What could be worse for someone who loves, adores and even worships the art of the cinema?

I take solace in the fact that at least some of us realize most popular movies these days are terrible. People simply enjoy being entertained and do not give any thought to what they’re viewing. But a growing trend over the past few years in the cinema industry has really shaken me to the core. It’s not the glorification of violence or the sequel-prequel trend. Indie films are now my main concern.

Now, I’m typically the kind of person who loves the off-beat, the strange and the unusual. To quote Winona Ryder in Beetle Juice, “I myself am…strange and unusual.” But where does the sense of uniqueness end and just plain uninterestingness begin? It’s rare to find a good indie film, because, ironically, they’ve all become the same.

Take, for example, 2005’s Thumbsucker. I was anticipating the release of this film for months. Vince Vaughn in an indie film? Amazing. The story? Sounds endearing.

But when I finally saw the movie, it was a huge let-down. It turned out to be a poorly scripted coming-of-age story. Keanu Reeves blabbed on and on about his “power animal” (Fight Club rip-off, anyone?) and the ending was just empty.

And how about the lovely 2005 film Me and You and Everyone We Know? When describing the film, the Internet slang term “WTF?” comes to mind. Instead of containing any real substance, it was just a bunch of weird scenes without much connection to one another. It tried to be touching and pioneering but failed. Greatly.

The problem with movies like Thumbsucker and Me and You and Everyone We Know is that they try too hard. They spend too much time attempting to be cool, different or even, shall I say, indie. But don’t get me wrong. There are dozens of wonderful indie films that have emerged over the years. Take Daniel Clowes’ hilarious 2001 film Ghost World. It combines kooky characters, quirky dialogue and existentialism to create a delightful viewing experience.

Additionally, there are several indie filmmakers who deserve credit without some amateur wannabes stealing their ideas. Let’s look at cult legend David Lynch. Although he’s utterly insane, it’s hard not to regard him as a mesmerizing filmmaker. With 1986’s Blue Velvet, Lynch managed to be innovative and interesting at the same time – something that wannabe indie filmmakers never accomplish.

And what about Todd Solondz? If there were such a thing as crazy pills, this man must have taken thousands to generate his stories. They’re so genuinely outrageous, they must be taken with a grain of hilarious salt. Palindromes (2004) and Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995) are a few of my favorites.

Last but not least, I can’t forget Jim Jarmusch. He manages to construct dismantled storylines and bizarre dialogue while making all of his characters’ situations somehow fit together. I recommend Night on Earth (1991) and Stranger than Paradise (1984).

Aside from copying off of legendary indie filmmakers and trying too hard to stand out, wannabes in the industry use atypical techniques that only make them less noticeable. For example, I’ve realized that many of these films use silence to convey emotions instead of dialogue. This only works in the case of good acting. It’s hard to cast superior or well-known actors in indie films, so dialogue is needed. Dozens of metaphors and euphemisms are not what the audience needs, along with imagery to depict emotions. Subtlety is necessary, but too much is annoying.

All in all, it’s hard to find an enjoyable film these days. If they’re not too busy being commercialized, they’re too busy trying too hard not to be commercialized. It’s a strange, strange world we live in. We don’t need another wannabe trying to show us what we already know.

wakefieldk1@lasalle.edu