#kate dollenmayer

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Funny Ha Ha Andrew Bujalski. 2002

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Funny Ha Ha (2002, dir. Andrew Bujalski) 

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FUNNY HA HA (2005), directed by Andrew Bujalski.

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Sweet William by Chris Cohen - Directed by Luke Csehak

[artfilmfan]

Finally saw Bujalski’s Funny Ha Ha (i’ve been catching up with mumblecore as it is) and  Kate Dollenmayer really preceded what later Greta Gerwig and her characters (including the hand gestures) became in many ways. Everything i love about Greta was really here with Kate as well, this really was the key film that put not just mumblecore on the map but paved the way for super low budget  independent cinema in the US in general. It might be a no budget thing, and even feels improvised, but just so honest and full of heart. Not something you can see in major films a lot. And sometimes such small films that don’t rely on technical aspects of filmmaking can be even more exciting or interesting.  

[tudorscharlot]

Funny Ha Ha (Andrew Bujalski, 2002)

I just watched this movie for the second time. Here's what I wrote to my best friend about it when I first saw it a couple of years ago: This movie hit me harder than almost anything I’ve seen in the last year. I watched this on Mubi with no prior knowledge beyond Mubi’s vague description and a flutter in my heart for the still of the lead actor that they used. This is regarded as the first “mumblecore” film (a genre name that no filmmaker whose work is so labeled seems to like but that, like grunge, appears to be here to stay; the director of this film said that someone once suggested they call mumblecore films “ennui-sploitation” films instead!), and it’s a marvel. I think it’s a good film - well-written, wonderfully shot (on 16mm film), and full of great amateur actors. But the thing that really murdered me is the job this dude did of capturing some of the best and most important feelings of being in my early 20s in the early 2000s. It’s not even that any of the characters remind me of me or anyone I knew then, or that the things that happen bear any significant resemblance to events from my life at that time. It just captures what it felt like to be alive then. It takes me back to somewhere that I can’t get to with such vividness on my own. Thank goodness for this movie! (End quote.)

That’s a strong endorsement. But I told the same best friend recently that I was terrified of rewatching this film and it not being as magical for me the second time around. It is a aching kind of sadness when you revisit a work of art that once elevated your consciousness and find that it doesn't cast the same spell anymore.

I am relieved to report that this film has still got the goods.

Kate Dollenmayer has unbelievable charisma. She is a natural in a way that is rare in any film - let alone a completely independent, no-budget, debut film made by kids. She's so good that it seems like she's not even acting. A moment that really stood out this time is when Mitchell (played by Andrew Bujalski - which I didn't realize until the credits were rolling during my first viewing) is hassling her about being depressed even though they just had a fun day together and she loses the cool that she's had for the whole movie and says in exasperation that she doesn't want to play this game with him. I dunno why, but that is just pitch-perfect to me. She's very sad, but trying to be easygoing. And she's incredibly patient and decent with this guy who keeps cluelessly trying to make things romantic. And she's in love with Alex but is trying to stay realistic about how little his fleeting flirtations with her actually mean. She's got all these things she's trying to stay on top of and it's a really nice, real moment when she loses her cool - even though it's just a quick moment and nothing dramatic.

I also love that after Mitchell breaks the bottle and she's upset, she goes and lies down on her bed because she's upset. And he finds it seductive and says as much and she gets up because that's ridiculous and not what she was trying to do. And then in the last scene, Alex lies down in the grass next to her and I think that he IS totally trying to be seductive and toy with her feelings.

Everybody in this movie is so good. Even when some of the more minor characters are doing a pretty bad job of acting, they are still real and appealing in a magical way. And I love Andrew Bujalski's acting. He's got such an intelligence and controlled awkwardness. And I love that he was sure enough of himself to write and act kind of a pathetic, "thirsty" character for himself in his own debut film. He's not a villain or anything, but Mitchell does a lot of things that shitty guys do. Bujalski nails the psychology and demeanor of a guy like that.

If one weren't paying attention or had a cynical chip on their shoulder or just didn't have any experience with independent cinema, it would be pretty easy to write off Funny Ha Ha as a nothing movie. But beneath and behind surface things like the low-budget production values, the amateur acting, and the understated action and narrative arc, there is a tightly written film with depth, humor, heart, and beautiful human beings.

I love the films of Andrew Bujalski so much.

[bandcampsnoop]

3/19/24.

I was at my good friend Stacey's birthday last night, and I met and talked with Kate Dollenmayer, who played violin on this, the latest release from Luke Csehak's project The Lentils (Los Angeles via Battleboro, Vermont).

"Hello Jane Goodall, Are You Listening?" is a bit more orchestral than previous releases. The songs remind me of everything from Arthur Russell to Talking Heads. But, I was struck by how much this reminded me of Fortunato Durutti Marinetti. I can't imagine that Daniel Colussi isn't inspired by Csehak and The Lentils.

Csehak was also part of Happy Jawbone Family Band and Plum Professional.

Feeding Tube Records released a very limited lathe cut of this album, but it is also available on cassette.

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Funny Ha Ha (2002) Andrew Bujalski

May 23rd 2022