Warning: This review contains spoilers.
Decker never shows her characters discussing how an audience might respond to their work—or, for that matter, whether they intend to present their work to an audience. This omission has the perhaps unintended consequence of making the performers seem self-indulgent, especially when the art making we do see looks ridiculous and childish. Like the actors’ awkward posturing (which suggests a sort of dance therapy for people who can’t dance), Decker’s filmmaking consistently walks a line between exuberant and embarrassing. Decker likes to interrupt scenes by bringing in sound from another location, as when she plays one of the troupe’s irritating a cappella singing sessions over an argument between Madeline and her mother, Regina (Miranda July). The writer-director also likes to film conversations in shaky, shallow-focused close-ups, which suggest a nervous energy regardless of whether the characters are actually nervous or excited. Such devices exude an air of art for art’s sake but rarely comment meaningfully on the action.
Directed by Josephine Decker. 93 min. Fri 8/31-Thu 9/6. Music Box, 3733 N. Southport, 773-871-6604, musicboxtheatre.com, $8-11.
