(We first caught Joe Swanberg's "Nights and Weekends" at Austin's SXSW Film Festival, but since it's opening in limited release this weekend, we're reprinting our review from last March.)

By: Erik Davis

Nights and Weekends marks writer-director Joe Swanberg's fourth consecutive film at the South by Southwest Film Festival, and it's quite possibly his strongest work yet. Here, Swanberg co-directs and stars alongside girl-next-door-with-an-edge Greta Gerwig – and the two play a couple struggling through the highs and lows of a long distance relationship. What we see is what we don't see, if that makes any sense, as Swanberg and Gerwig consciously chose not to hand this one to the audience on a silver platter. Case in point: There's really no narrative at all. One would think a film with no narrative would be the equivalent of recording you and your significant other watching TV on a Friday night – cuddled up, chitter chatter with a pause for a snack here and there.

On the surface, Nights and Weekends is just that – a regular night (or nights) with regular people who talk just like us or them or your friend with the huge crush on that guy we all kinda know. But look a little deeper and Nights and Weekends is so much more than "just another 'Mumblecore' flick about confusing relationships and missed opportunities." Swanberg and Gerwig do a tremendous job tapping into everything we love about our relationships, as well as everything we hate – and they do this with moments, glances, kisses and tears. No score. No set pieces. No set up and payoff. In an interview the morning after the film's world premiere, Swanberg told me that's exactly how he remembers his own life: as random scenes, conversations or smiles – a mixed fruit basket of love, lust, fear and disappointment.

Cinematical has just received the first trailer for Nights and Weekends, written, starring and directed by Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig. The film, which first premiered during this year's South by Southwest Film Festival (or SXSW), follows one couple struggling to maintain a long distance relationship, and all the ups and downs that go along with that. Not only does it rank among Swanberg and Gerwig's best to date, but, as I said in my review, both "do a tremendous job tapping into everything we love about our relationships, as well as everything we hate – and they do this with moments, glances, kisses and tears. No score. No set pieces. No set up and payoff."

Like most films that carry the Swanberg and Gerwig name, it's experimental and it definitely takes risks in the way it conveys the story -- but that's also what makes it unique and a pleasure to watch. Instead of searching for plot points, you're forced to share this couple's most intimate moments together -- and not only does it feel raw, fresh and funky, but also satisfying and somewhat therapeutic.

IFC Festival Direct will bring Nights and Weekends to your living room via On Demand beginning September 24, and the film will also enjoy a theatrical run at New York's IFC Center beginning October 10th. Check it out, and let us know what you think. See the trailer below ...

While most of you are probably familiar with the work of Joe Swanberg (Hannah Takes the Stairs, LOL, Nights and Weekends) by way of film festivals and the term "Mumblecore," you may not know that he also has a very successful online series called Young American Bodies that just entered its third season. Presented by IFC.com and Nerve Video, Young American Bodies is "a candid, no-holds-barred look at the intersecting love lives of six 20-somethings in Chicago ..." Each episode is less than 10 minutes long, and you can watch all 20 episodes in total from seasons 1 and 2, as well as six of the twelve episodes in season 3 (one is revealed each weekday).

One thing I love about Swanberg's film making is his ability to capture the tiny moments between two people; not only as a director, but as an actor too. He's great at dissecting relationships right before your eyes, without any of the Hollywood fluff or unrealistic dialogue. Everything in a Joe Swanberg film will feel natural, and you, as an audience member, may feel a little uncomfortable watching -- because even though it's fiction, Swanberg has a way of making everything feel very real.

So if you have some time this weekend and you're looking for something to watch, head on over to the Young American Bodies website and settle in to some of these episodes. Then let us know what you think. (Keep in mind, these are R-rated.)

A solid handful of indie titles vie for your attention on the DVD shelves this week. I've already written about the marketing for Joe Swanberg's Hannah Takes the Stairs, my pick of the week, but that shouldn't overshadow the intrinsic quality of the film itself. The DVD from IFC includes Thanks for the Add!, a short film by Swanberg, an audio commentary by Swanberg and actors / co-writers Greta Gerwig and Kent Osborne, behind the scenes footage, and SXSW video production diary spots.

I watched Juan Antonio Bayona's The Orphanage (pictured) with expectations set perhaps too high. I thought it would be a thrilling Spanish ghost story; instead it's a rather pallid drama about a mother and a lost son with just a smidgen of suspense and supernatural overtones. Jette Kernion had a response similar to mine, but others liked it much more, including our own Scott Weinberg, who praised it as "entirely captivating from start to finish." The DVD from Picturehouse includes three featurettes and something on the somewhat misleading marketing campaign.

Family dysfunction and elder care may not sound like sexy subjects, but Tamara Jekins "simply takes us into the story of her fascinating characters, and the integrity with which she handles it makes it ring true throughout." That was the reaction of Kim Voynar to The Savages; she was especially impressed by the performances of Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The DVD from Fox Searchlight includes an extended scene, director's snapshots, and a featurette entitled "About the Savages."

How do you sell the merits of an indie film to the masses? Scott Macaulay raises the question at the Filmmaker Magazine blog in connection with the release of Joe Swanberg's Hannah Takes the Stairs on DVD tomorrow. The film debuted at last year's SXSW and then received a brief theatrical release last summer. Macaulay posted pictures of the theatrical release poster, in contrast with the home video box cover.

Which is more effective? Chris Thilk at Movie Marketing Madness commented on the poster last summer, describing it as "a very cool poster that manages [to] mix the starkness that identifies it easily as an independent, character-driven film with some wacky visuals that play the same sort of tune the trailer did. I love it." The DVD cover, with the titular character of Hannah (played by Greta Gerwig) almost fading into the background, makes it look more like a mainstream ensemble romantic comedy.

But, wait! The photo on the cover was one of the original publicity photos and can be found on the film's official site. It may not be the most representative, though, since the film is all about Hannah and how she flits through relationships rather quickly. The Chicago city 'scape background was obviously added later. The blurb is snipped from Owen Gleiberman's review in Entertainment Weekly. The theatrical poster featured a quote from Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe. Is one critic's quote more appealing than the other?

This year saw a lot of notice paid to the film movement known as Mumblecore, but it's still low enough on the radar that its members -- including filmmakers Andrew Bujalski, the Duplass Brothers and Joe Swanberg -- are likely still pretty approachable human beings. Of course, that doesn't mean that their biggest fan can easily meet them. While these very indie filmmakers aren't celebrities, their most devout follower, Erin Scherer, lives too far away and is apparently too poor to pay her own way to simply locate the Mumblecore lot, travel to where they're at and pay them a visit. The difficulty isn't stopping her from trying, though. Scherer, a filmmaker and video blogger best known for her monologue "How Mumblecore Saved My Life," has set up a website asking for donations in order to fund her trip to the South by Southwest Film Festival in March, where she apparently will have the opportunity to meet with indieWIRE blogger and festival programmer Matt Dentler, as well as whatever Mumblecore representatives are available. The site, titled GrantErinsWish.com, features some videos of her explaining her predicament and begging for money.

So far, according to the updates on her site, Scherer has only collected $55.00. That's a lot less than the $3200 she needs by March 5, 2008, the date she heads down to Texas for the festival. While I don't completely condone giving a fangirl charity when there are more important causes in the world, I do like the idea that you can purchase t-shirts and other merchandise from her CafePress site, so that you don't have to feel like you simply gave the money away. The merch does, however, state the cute-yet-implicit declaration, "I helped Erin get to SXSW and all I got was this stupid t-shirt." Keep in mind, that if she does not raise the full amount, she will still be going to SXSW -- she's apparently already paid for the trip and is presently in debt -- so you won't likely be receiving a refund. However, if you've had your own dreams of meeting your idol(s) and think it's a good cause, or at least an endearing one (heck, even if you just pity her for all I care), feel free to do with your own money what you wish.

[via The Reeler]

UPDATE: Despite the fact that her current total is still only $55, Sherer has decided to up her amount needed another $400-500.

Only connect. -- E.M Forster

The phone's off the hook, but you're not. -- X

In Joe Swanberg's LOL, three men -- Alex, an aspiring musician (Kevin Brewersdorf), Chris, a student trying to sustain a long-distance relationship (C. Mason Wells) and Tim, a slightly smug young man in a seemingly-stable relationship (director Swanberg) -- can't quite connect with other people. They've got the tools -- cellphones, e-mail, video -- but they don't seem to have the temperament. Or maybe the tools are the problem -- they've got so many open channels in their life that all they can hear is the hum of the wires, so many sources of distraction they're waiting for what's next instead of looking at what's now.

Articles have been written -- and will, somewhat regrettably, continue to be written -- about how Swanberg, along with similar writer-directors like Andrew Bujalski , Aaron Katz and Jay Duplass, constitute a new movement called 'mumblecore.' This nomenclature suggests an enthusiasm for categorization more hearty than well-thought-out; if Swanberg, Bujalski, Katz and Duplass are a movement, then you and your close friends are a political party. These film makers have affinities, similarities, personal friendships and professional connections; at the same time, if you asked the 'mumblecore' film makers to articulate a Dogme 95-style manifesto, you'd probably be waiting a while for your answer.

With that aside -- and looking at LOL in and of itself -- the good news is that the new DVD release is a strong and well-crafted disc of a strong and well-crafted film. LOL is fragmentary -- overheard phone conversations, snippets of video, voice mail messages, instant message sessions between two people in the same room -- and you get that Swanberg's suggesting the same about modern life. The technique in LOL is mildly distancing at the start; as the film progresses, you understand that Swanberg's making a mosaic out of brittle pieces, and you see the big picture as you step back. It's not an a-to-b-to-c narrative; neither is life.

Last month, I alerted you to a pretty funny clip from Julie Delpy's 2 Days in Paris, which was up over at indieWIRE as part of the indie film series with Apple stores. Now the website has got another strange and comedic clip to distract us from the daily grind, and it will again be followed by store appearances. This time, the movie is Hannah Takes the Stairs, from director Joe Swanberg (Kissing on the Mouth and LOL). The film stars Greta Gerwig, who was in Swanberg's LOL, Kent Osborne, who actually got his start on School Ties (which helped launch the careers of many actors, including Damon and Affleck) and Andrew Bujalski, whose last film was Mutual Appreciation, which he wrote, directed, edited and starred in -- and all of them collaborated on the film's script.

Hannah Takes the Stairs (follow the link for a trailer) is about a young woman named Hannah who is interning at a production company in Chicago. She's got a crush on two of her co-workers, Matt (Osborne) and Paul (Bujalski), and the question becomes whether pursuing one of them will hurt their friendship trio. In the clip, Matt shows Paul and Hannah how you can get six-pack abs without working out. Between the six-pack and the hot dogs he can also change his stomach into, the man is a walking tailgating party. It'll definitely be a tough choice for the young professional. God only knows what special talents Paul has! The film will hit a limited release on August 22 through IFC Films, and the day after, you can hear Swanberg, Gerwig, Aaron Katz and Aaron Hillis talk about indie filmmaking at the Apple Store in Soho.

Joe Swanberg, the driving force behind Kissing on the Mouth and LOL, basically doesn't sleep. Even as he follows both of his features around the country on the festival circuit, he's somehow found the time to write, direct, produce and star in Young American Bodies, one of the initial offerings of Nerve.com's just-launched Nerve Video portal. Bodies is a lot like Kissing -- in that it's basically concerned with the sex lives of a gaggle of self-absorbed 20-somethings -- but snappier, soapier, and chopped up into time-release capsules for easy consumption. Of the three episodes currently available, my favorite is the second, Ben's Night Out, in which the sudsier elements really start to take off. It doesn't seem to be enabled yet, but soon you'll be able to vote for your favorites right on Nerve. So go forth and check them out. Actually, maybe wait a couple of hours -- it's definitely not safe for work.