Not much happens in Hannah Takes the Stairs, an ultra-low-budget independent film directed by Joe Swanberg, said Matt Zoller Seitz in The New York Times. The title character, played with charming frankness by Greta Gerwig (also a co-writer) meets and breaks up with boyfriends, has nude encounters, and participates in witty, wordy conversations. Swanberg's third feature film 'œis less notable for its story than for what the movie itself represents: an evolutionary entry in the so-called Do It Yourself (or DIY) independent film movement.' The category, also referred to as 'œmumblecore,' is a new style of verité filmmaking based on the lives of middle-class white 20-somethings, said Darrell Hartman in The New York Sun. These movies are characterized by realistic conversations, cooperative filmmaking (writers and actors are the same people), and plenty of nudity. Here, Hannah's refreshingly average dilemmas 'œemerge gradually to form a compelling, if not earth-shattering, portrait of the modern liberal-arts major.' DIY films aren't for everyone, said Andrew O'Hehir in Salon.com. In fact, most people will probably find them boring. One can admire Hannah's 'œpatchy, uneven bittersweetness and its undeniable integrity without ever loving or feeling swept up in it.'
Rating: Not Rated
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