If you read my What I Watched column yesterday you will know I recently watched Lena Dunham‘s Tiny Furniture, which was just released on DVD and Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection. I first started watching the film about a week ago and caught the first 20 minutes of it before having to stop only to pick up later on… I picked up later on to finish it and grew increasingly angry at the film’s lead character, played by Dunham in a somewhat autobiographical take on the writer/director/actor’s life.
Her character’s name was Aura and she had just graduated from school, moved back in with her mother and sister (played by her mother and sister in the film) and is now trying to figure out what she’s going to do with her life. However, more importantly, Aura is desperate, lonely and pathetic. She gravitates toward anything and everyone, seeks attention from all the wrong people and ends up having sex in a pipe in an abandoned lot.
It was at that last point I threw up my hands and was over it. I grabbed my phone and texted Laremy saying, “Wow, Tiny Furniture turns to all kinds of shit.”
When I fired that text off the running time was piling up and I became very concerned as to how the film was going to end. I began thinking to myself, The only way this can save itself is if Dunham sticks to her narrative and doesn’t go out soft. Guess what, she nailed the ending, which I believe is the number one reason Tiny Furniture remained in the conversation.
It’s a well constructed and framed narrative throughout and Dunham and her DP, Jody Lee Lipes, come up with some great shots, but this mumblecore-meets-legit-drama has some serious issues for anyone that can’t tolerate pathetic characters — myself being a prime example — and after watching the trailer for Dunham’s next project I’m a little concerned it’s 90% populated by everything I hated about Tiny Furniture.
Made with the support of producer Judd Apatow, Dunham’s talents moved to HBO for a new series called “Girls”, which debuts in April and will feature Dunham in the lead role as well as several of the actors she cast in Tiny Furniture, the one of most interest being Jemima Kirke, who is the one you’ll probably confuse with Piper Perabo when you first start watching the just released trailer below.
This is the first I’ve seen of “Girls” and having seen Tiny Furniture and having not enjoyed the middle third, I can tell you that’s exactly what this preview looks like to me. I just wonder, can Dunham be as true to her character on a television show that will need to bring back viewers each week to continue to watch her wallow in despair and indecisiveness or will each episode have to end on some sort of a high note to maintain viewer loyalty? In all honesty, I don’t think I could handle this show for more than an episode or two.
The first three episodes of “Girls” will premiere at the SXSW Film Festival next month, which is where Tiny Furniture made its first big splash and then will follow that up with a series premieres on HBO on April 15 at 10:30 PM.
On a side note, if you’re wondering how popular Tiny Furniture is, the Blu-ray is already on backorder at Criterion.
