SXSW Film Preview: Tiny Furniture

Written by, directed by and starring Lena Dunham, Tiny Furniture is a sardonic and self-aware exploration of post-college life. Though privileged and sheltered in many ways, the main character, Aura, suffers more than her fair share of indignities as well as moments of utter confusion about the future she hopes to enjoy.

After earning a degree in film theory, Aura returns to her mother’s Tribeca apartment in order to plan her next move. What follows is a string of false starts, romantic-ish interludes and many bottles of wine. Like many recent college graduates have discovered before her, Aura finds that the transition to the real world can be pretty humiliating.

Various casting and filming choices should make for an interesting viewing experience; Dunham’s mother, artist Laurie Simmons, plays the mother in the film and local indie regular Alex Karpovsky co-stars as one of Aura’s questionable love interests.

Dunham was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film” in 2009 and this is her second feature following Creative Nonfiction, which premiered at last year’s SXSW film fest.

Tiny Furniture makes its world premiere on Monday, March 15 at 2:15 at the Alamo Ritz. It shows again on March 16 and March 20. Check out the full SXSW schedule at my.SXSW or B-Side.