SXSW Film Preview: Beeswax

You might say Andrew Bujalski burst onto the indie scene suddenly…except that just about every word in that statement doesn’t fit. There’s very little “bursting” in a Bujalski film, and almost nothing happens “suddenly.”

His first movie, Funny Ha Ha, was quietly underwhelming in exactly the right way. With untrained actors playing regular people—talking over each other, stuttering their way through emotional scenes, and generally just acting like a bunch of slacker kids who didn’t care much about being in a movie—Bujalski created something…overwhelmingly new.

Not to mention, good. Critics all over listed it as one of their top ten films of 2002. His next film, Mutual Appreciation got the same critical response. His signature style has become a popular genre in indie film circuits called “mumblecore.” (That’s the only time that word will come up, we promise.)

His third feature, Beeswax (as in "none of your,” though we haven’t seen it so we’d hate to suppose) is being billed as “something like a legal thriller for anyone who finds ‘legal thriller’ to be an oxymoron.” The film tells the tale of twin sisters at transitional moments in their lives. Jeannie owns a vintage clothing store but is unsure how to handle some tricky legal issues with the store’s co-owner, while Lauren is between jobs and contemplating teaching English overseas. As these two try to decide what to do, family obligations come up and the story gets even more complicated.

Shot here in Austin (Bujalski has recently relocated to our beloved city) and chock full of local independent filmmakers like the Zellner brothers and Alex Karpovsky (Goliath and Woodpecker, respectively—both hits from last years’ fest) as well as SxSW’s own Janet Pierson, there’s plenty for Austin cinemaphiles to gawk at. But we’re betting if you sit quietly for a few minutes and start noticing the subtleties, start looking for meaning in the awkward pauses, and just generally becoming a part of the Bujalski-verse, you will find a quiet little film that sticks with you when you walk out of the theater.

Beeswax will have its North American premiere at the SXSW film festival at 2:00pm, Saturday March 14th at the Paramount. For more information, check out the SXSW Film Festival schedule.