by Lotus Wollschlager
Tiny Furniture, a film by Lena Dunham, is set in New York City and follows the life of Aura. She has just gotten out of a long term relationship and graduated from college. She moves home with her Mom and younger sister to get her bearings. Her mother (played by her real life mother) is a well-known artist that photographs miniature things, including furniture. She is an aspiring filmmaker and had already released a few things online during college. Her younger sister Nadine (her real life younger sister) gives her a hard time about being home and keeps letting her know about rules to follow at home.
Aura rekindles a childhood friendship with Charlotte after seeing her at a party. Her mother thinks she is a bad influence and doesn’t want Aura hanging out with her. Charlotte helps her get a job at a nearby restaurant as a day hostess where she has to answer the phones and take reservations. She meets Keith, a sous chef, who is standoffish at first but gets interested once he finds out that her friend Charlotte can get him some Vicodin. He asks her to meet up with him after work to hook him up with the drugs and he stands her up. She ends up giving him another chance after he shows up to her art show.
She also meets Jed at the same party that she first spotted Charlotte. He does some comedy bits on YouTube and is in town from Chicago on a business trip. Her Mom and sister are gone for the week looking at colleges so she offers to let him stay at her place. She persuades her mom to let him stay a few more nights but she finally kicks him out after he gets a bit too comfortable. He is a bit of a moocher and doesn’t really seem like he really had any plans of finding another place to stay while in town.
The film won the Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival. Tiny Furniture is somewhat autobiographical because Dunham’s mother (Laurie Simmons) really is an artist and uses interesting objects, such as dollhouses, in her photography. I appreciated the writing style and authenticity that Lena Dunham brought to the film. I mean, who hasn’t fumbled along at some point in their life while trying to figure out how they fit in the world? Her main character has a pity party for herself at times but manages to make an effort to keep putting herself out there.
Aura rekindles a childhood friendship with Charlotte after seeing her at a party. Her mother thinks she is a bad influence and doesn’t want Aura hanging out with her. Charlotte helps her get a job at a nearby restaurant as a day hostess where she has to answer the phones and take reservations. She meets Keith, a sous chef, who is standoffish at first but gets interested once he finds out that her friend Charlotte can get him some Vicodin. He asks her to meet up with him after work to hook him up with the drugs and he stands her up. She ends up giving him another chance after he shows up to her art show.
She also meets Jed at the same party that she first spotted Charlotte. He does some comedy bits on YouTube and is in town from Chicago on a business trip. Her Mom and sister are gone for the week looking at colleges so she offers to let him stay at her place. She persuades her mom to let him stay a few more nights but she finally kicks him out after he gets a bit too comfortable. He is a bit of a moocher and doesn’t really seem like he really had any plans of finding another place to stay while in town.
The film won the Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival. Tiny Furniture is somewhat autobiographical because Dunham’s mother (Laurie Simmons) really is an artist and uses interesting objects, such as dollhouses, in her photography. I appreciated the writing style and authenticity that Lena Dunham brought to the film. I mean, who hasn’t fumbled along at some point in their life while trying to figure out how they fit in the world? Her main character has a pity party for herself at times but manages to make an effort to keep putting herself out there.
RSS Feed
