1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

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therewillbeblus
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#26 Post by therewillbeblus » Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:25 am

I was already meaning to revisit this after leaving it off my top ten list of its year due to a foggy memory, but while I recalled liking this a lot, I just fell in love with it on a rewatch. This is what happens when a performance artist like July decides to simultaneously abandon all social conventions and allow her characters to exhibit uninhibited freedoms of philosophical, emotional, and impulsive action to surrealistic plains while grounding them in the fine restrictions of the human psychological experience, with fear, doubt, insecurity, and isolative pain. Breaking these apart helps show the space between the cracks of how people find the spiritual, excitement, and identity signifiers within the banal clouds of sociological mud. And yet by bridging these parts of existence together as they are magnetically inclined to do, July forges an authentic mood that layers the abstract experience of self-discovery onto the realistic, proving that only through sculpting artificially can she find new truth.

Scenes like the empathic surge to save the fish on the car, the audacious declaration that one doesn’t need to settle for shoes that hurt, and the breakdown of self-consciousness in two girls fighting for validation of their individuality despite disinterest in the admirer only to succumb to their own collective desires for companionship through the naïveté and angst that accompanies growth are all just elements floating around in this eclectic abyss of humanity.

The Solondz comparisons are fair at least for a starting point as he does something similar with his work, though despite a kinship in vibe the content here strikes a more serious and humble treatment of the human experience while Solondz tends to find his own striking drama in more extreme absurdities. I love both, but this moves me as a film just aching with spirit to share with the world, more than a sideways anthropological perspective, and finds an avenue through peeling back an onion layer to reveal an image most of us didn’t know was there. It’s difficult to convey the need to share oneself with others or see the world our own way, and the audacity to speak one’s own language or perceive space as we do to meet those needs is a taboo in the way it’s demonstrated and perhaps in the way we really want to in practice, even though we are doing that constantly throughout our lives and July just has the integrity to let us know that gently sans judgment through mysticism coating raw relatability.

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senseabove
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#27 Post by senseabove » Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:43 pm

The absolutely only thing I remember about this movie—to the extent that I first thought it must be a different movie because nothing about the plot summary sounds familiar, but googling says it is indeed the same movie—is "pooping back and forth forever."

But it's coincidentally playing near me next month and you folks have convinced me I need to see it again.

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therewillbeblus
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#28 Post by therewillbeblus » Sat Jan 18, 2020 3:00 pm

Glad to see a few shorts included here. After finally catching up with The Future and loving it (not as much as this, but that’s hardly a dig) I hope Criterion is able to release it with the rest of her shorts, though it’s Lionsgate and I’m not up to speed on if they’ve been any more flexible in sharing as of late

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PfR73
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#29 Post by PfR73 » Wed Feb 19, 2020 9:18 pm

domino harvey wrote:
Wed Jan 15, 2020 7:06 pm
Sadly, it seems that the deleted scenes from the DVD do not appear on this release
I emailed Jon Mulvaney about this is January and recently received a reply that "there's a high possibility of the deleted scenes being included on this" but that a definitive answer couldn't be offered yet.

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barnyard078
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#30 Post by barnyard078 » Fri Feb 21, 2020 5:51 am

PfR73 wrote:
Wed Feb 19, 2020 9:18 pm
domino harvey wrote:
Wed Jan 15, 2020 7:06 pm
Sadly, it seems that the deleted scenes from the DVD do not appear on this release
I emailed Jon Mulvaney about this is January and recently received a reply that "there's a high possibility of the deleted scenes being included on this" but that a definitive answer couldn't be offered yet.
Looks like the definitive answer has been given. "Deleted Scenes" has been added to the extras on Criterion's page for the movie!

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therewillbeblus
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#31 Post by therewillbeblus » Fri Feb 21, 2020 9:00 am

Excellent news!

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criterionsnob
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#32 Post by criterionsnob » Thu Apr 16, 2020 2:25 pm


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domino harvey
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#33 Post by domino harvey » Sun Apr 26, 2020 6:32 pm

pianocrash wrote:
Tue May 31, 2005 2:37 am
• New documentary about July's artistic beginnings and the development of her debut feature
"Great" news: this has been updated
New documentary featuring a conversation between July and filmmaker Lena Dunham about July’s artistic beginnings and the development of her debut feature

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TheKieslowskiHaze
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#34 Post by TheKieslowskiHaze » Mon Apr 27, 2020 7:35 am

Me and Svet and Everyone We Know

My favorite line: "These are the type of people that very easily can evolve into dangerous kamikazes and then shatter the community you live in."

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domino harvey
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#35 Post by domino harvey » Mon Apr 27, 2020 9:37 am

Haha holy shit, best Pro-B misreading of a film yet!

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tenia
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#36 Post by tenia » Mon Apr 27, 2020 10:59 am

Well, he doesn't seem to like doubting himself and seeing the world he lives in from an entirely different angle.

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jazzo
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#37 Post by jazzo » Mon Apr 27, 2020 11:16 am

Unobstructed View, Criterion's distributor in Canada, don't have this edition listed on their site for preorder/order, and I fear this may fall into the dreaded import category of pricing. This happens occasionally, when some domestic company retains the rights here, and we wind up almost double the cost for the release.

The last time this happened? Back when SCANNERS was released by Criterion, and I had to pay $58 CAD to import a film, set in Canada, and made by and staring Canadians, into Canada!

True patriot love, indeed!

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domino harvey
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#38 Post by domino harvey » Mon Apr 27, 2020 11:18 am

tenia wrote:
Mon Apr 27, 2020 10:59 am
Well, he doesn't seem to like doubting himself and seeing the world he lives in from an entirely different angle.
I am hesitant to diagnose anyone, but there is 100% something mentally wrong with anyone who views this film as wholly depicting characters who are threats to the well-being and safety of society

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therewillbeblus
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#39 Post by therewillbeblus » Mon Apr 27, 2020 11:59 am

In my experience it's less of a diagnosis and more that some people view the world through rigidly inflexible judgments, believe those as absolute truths, and are unable to widen the scope of perspective beyond that snap-judgment, while others exist on a range of this process in malleability depending on our own values, socially conditioned histories, hierarchy of principles, psychological makeup, etc. There is a word for people who cannot do this at all, and that is a diagnosis though, so maybe you're right.

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TheKieslowskiHaze
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#40 Post by TheKieslowskiHaze » Mon Apr 27, 2020 12:16 pm

domino harvey wrote:
Mon Apr 27, 2020 11:18 am
I am hesitant to diagnose anyone, but there is 100% something mentally wrong with anyone who views this film as wholly depicting characters who are threats to the well-being and safety of society.
Not just threats, but DANGEROUS KAMIKAZES*!

Not just society, but the COMMUNITY YOU LIVE IN!

*(not to be confused with benevolent kamikazes)

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tenia
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#41 Post by tenia » Mon Apr 27, 2020 12:33 pm

domino harvey wrote:
Mon Apr 27, 2020 11:18 am
I am hesitant to diagnose anyone, but there is 100% something mentally wrong with anyone who views this film as wholly depicting characters who are threats to the well-being and safety of society
I don't know the movie at all so can't say about this, but I trust you on this point.
This being written, as therewillbeblus wrote, it's not so much a "diagnosis" (it seems quite a strong word, but maybe that's the usual English term for this) than Svet simply proving in countless reviews now how obtuse he can be. We sure all have our areas of comfort, our prejudices, etc, but what keeps surprising me with his movie reviews is how he so transparently lays these out in them. He makes no effort at trying to look just a bit less definitive in his takes.

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therewillbeblus
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#42 Post by therewillbeblus » Mon Apr 27, 2020 1:01 pm

I'm sure I'm not the first one to find it incredibly ironic to assess films from one's own prejudices without the ability to take perspective on them, when you're reviewing an art form that demands perspective-taking in its DNA. Ebert could do this, but at least he was able to acknowledge his own personal grievances as his own issue, taking responsibility for part of it, though I'm sure his 12-step program lifestyle helped the unblending there.

I also just can't get past how a critic who gives scores for a release quality then takes a sharp left turn to give a different score for the whole release based on an opinion on the movie. It doesn't make any sense given the framework of how his reviews are organized, as the subcategories should lead to a score indicative of them.

Anyways, I'm sure this has been beaten to death already, but yeah, anyone who views the characters in this film that way I hope I never meet. They are externalizations of emotion validated and self-actualized before our eyes.

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tenia
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#43 Post by tenia » Mon Apr 27, 2020 4:33 pm

I believe the final score is given automatically by the page based mostly on the movie score. I don't think it's manually chosen by the reviewer.

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Rayon Vert
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#44 Post by Rayon Vert » Mon Apr 27, 2020 9:39 pm

tenia wrote:
Mon Apr 27, 2020 4:33 pm
I believe the final score is given automatically by the page based mostly on the movie score.
For a blu ray review site, that makes no sense.

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tenia
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#45 Post by tenia » Tue Apr 28, 2020 3:12 am

Many agree it makes no sense but it seems to be so nevertheless. It's not the first release with perfect scores on PQ/AQ and a good score on extras to end up way lower in average.

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therewillbeblus
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Re: 1026 Me and You and Everyone We Know

#46 Post by therewillbeblus » Sun May 10, 2020 2:32 am

Looking back at my last writeup I feel like it’s a bit vague though I stand by the interpretation even if it's more of a flood of ideas. On another watch, to clarify what is so overwhelmingly emotional that words can hardly do it justice, July’s film feels like magical realism where the magic is emotional expression that feels out of reach and insane on the surface but actually is accessible and tangible in our world. What I love so much about this film is that the restrictions in social customs and fears that make the characters’ actions appear bizarre aren’t so far fetched, if we are willing to strip ourselves down to our vulnerabilities. The film makes me empowered to open my mind and entertain all the possibilities of human expression and raw honesty in social interaction, to put them into practice myself and become cognizant of the societally and self-imposed restraints that limit potential for liberation and connectivity within ourselves and with others.

Fear and anxiety around expectations reigns us in from venturing to take these risks, but July acknowledges this challenge and continues to show a world where it’s possible, and how people bear the rewards of the flexibility of facing fears and embracing change to unlock our own authentic selves, spilling our emotions out into the world where they want to be. Unifying with strangers around saving a fish or stopping all thoughts to give it undivided attention and meditative empathy, hoping that it was loved; or telling someone not to settle for discomfort in a shoe- the pain that comes with going through the motions and denying oneself the opportunities to seize time and advocate for what they passionately yearn- as emblematic of the optimistic capacity for humans to connect.

Though there is a drive for isolation and individuality too. Hawkes is put off by July’s uninvited step too far into his personal space and July is determined to create art alone when prompted by her clients/friends. The complex desires to coexist and maintain individuality create a very real friction, but the absurdities of the isolated and collective experiences around engagement are treated with the utmost respect, even in what should be silly - like the famous “poop back and forth” moment, which somehow becomes its own honest profession of the desire to connect, as only a child can convey. The child doesn’t laugh though, he’s very serious, and this helps us settle down from our own bafflement to read between the lines at how intimacy is subjectively defined but carries the same weight of integrity.

This film really is the experimental possibilities of performance art projected onto the 'familiar,' and in all the bizarre conversations and imagery, we get reflections of interactions we’ve had or want to have projected onto celluloid to watch play out and inspire us in the process. Hawkes’ attempt to hang onto a moment at the beginning with an explosive tangible gesture is so validating it makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time. Two children sharing secrets of a dream for the future is faced with barriers on a playground, but suspends judgment as they return to their intimate world. As July slows time down and meditates on a block-walk dreamed up as a lifetime, or holding down glue, we are tuned in to how true present-minded awareness reveals the many opportunities in the cracks of life we can always tap into if we just assert our agency and hold onto time; though we are also reminded of when we need to let go, and of the pain of ends in intimacy. That doesn’t limit our unconditional validation to the challenges and elations in life, or the magic in simply “passing the time” with action, even if that looks like tapping a coin on a surface while embracing the beauty of life staring into the cosmically-magnetic life force of the sun, exerting vigorous participation within the confines of our natural limitations.



The deleted scenes are a goldmine. I can understand why they were cut, potentially overdoing the absurdity in a film already walking the tightrope barely grounding us to reality, but every one worked pretty well aside from the post-grenade evacuation playground confrontation that was appropriately re-shot. Otherwise they were hysterical and I’m so glad they are included here.

The self-interview is playful and intuitive to July’s strive for control, attentiveness to life’s treasures, self-reflectiveness in contradictory loneliness, regret, and longing. The ensuing festival doc piece asking strangers about their own regrets is illuminating and the whole thing is just an all around great feature. July’s commentary over the Sundance Director’s Lab is very transparent, as is her conversation with Dunham, which shines an interesting light on the “back and forth” romanticism. However Dunham’s interruptions almost ruin the doc on several occasions. She even goes as far as to leap to analyze moments in the film as definitive readings (and one weird observation about July's hair) only for July to respond without affirming any part of her reading or nervously diverting the conversation, which was cool to see her also seemingly annoyed with Dunham, but this still irritated me to no end.

I appreciated the part where she talked about how the film was for "everyone" when marketing the audience which really shows how accessible it can be if one can get on its wavelength, and about how aggressively it asserts itself (like its characters). Very informative to hear July talk about her intentions, though the commentary over the Sundance Director's Lab is particularly introspective to what she was going for in each key scene, and some fun anecdotes that served as inspiration (the commentary is optional but I highly suggest it).

The short films are all great inclusions too, with the four "Joanie 4 Jackie" films varying in my own interest, though the last two were better than the first two (the third in particular was very aesthetically appealing). July's own shorts were welcome, The Amateurist was bizarre with wry humor ("God wasn't very professional") while Nest of Tens hints at the structural style, themes, and interpersonal energies of Me and You and Everyone We Know. At first it felt a little sluggish but after a couple of scenes July flashed her eccentric spin on everything and I appreciated the bulk of it. The booklet is pretty great too.

All around a stellar release, I really hope Criterion puts out The Future and includes her other shorts. Until then, I think I'll pick up her novel.

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