The Future | DVD Review

The Future is a tiny little movie with scope far beyond its anticipated reach. Among the quietly surrealistic propensities that Miranda July’s sophomore effort (which played out at both the 2011 Sundance and Berlin film festivals) springs late into the feature are deeply humanistic observations on the passage of time, the stagnancy of many modern young adults, our self conscious comparison of our own lives to everyone around us, and much, much more. The whimsical quirkiness that pervades the film may come off as paltry pandering to some, but those with a taste for awkward realism will find a film that delves much deeper than its kitsch exterior.

July and Hamish Linklater costar as Sophie and Jason, a four year-old couple who’s bored laptop bound routine has been shaken up by the commitment to adopt an aging cat named Paw Paw (also voiced by a creepy sounding July). The thought of real life responsibilities sends their lives into existential crisis, worried that at the age of 35 their lives as obligationless adults will be over. With only 30 days to live before they take on the mammoth challenge of fostering a senior feline companion, the couple decide to quit their jobs and turn off the internet in hopes of finding the motivation to do things they’ve always wanted to do. Jason goes from home based phone customer service to selling trees door to door, while Sophie takes her dance instructor skills to Youtube to prove to the world (or at least her neighbors) she can choreograph as well as her co-workers, whom she secretly envies. Their misadventures lead them into self sabotaging relationships, which come to a head in the complete stoppage of time, a talking moon, and parallel realities.

It’s easy to see why people might not like this film. Not only are both lead characters maladroit grown-ups that are terrified to buckle down and tackle the bigger challenges in life, but the sporadic monologues from Paw Paw, patiently waiting for his new owners to take him home, occasionally feel somewhat out of place, with his puppeteered limbs giving humanoid non-verbals to match July’s ambivalent kitty interpretation. His presence is the very essence of waiting, but he eventually meanders off, extrinsically speaking on the afterlife. Within the context of the overall story, the recrudesce of the cat gives the film more emotional depth, but as a parallel story, it invariably breaks the film’s rhythm.

Within is spotty framework, The Future does contain moments of brilliance. A scene in which Sophie finally manages to perform an improviso dance inside of her surprisingly expandable yellow t-shirt that she generally uses as a safety blanket is both visually astounding and emotionally impacting. As a haunting reminder of reality, her shirt found her, and she found herself in it. This is where July’s story started, as a performance art project about a breakup that caused her to want to stop time. When she harkens back to her performance roots, the film benefits immensely.

Her casting of two supporting males in the appropriately sleezy David Warshofsky and non-actor Joe Putterlik also manages to widen the film’s breadth. As a single father stumbling into a summer fling, Warshofsky gets to highlight his strength as a normal guy with a subdued suave side. Unfortunately, Putterlik passed away shortly after the film wrapped, but his enthusiastic warmth and wisdom fit perfectly into July’s odd creation as Jason’s penny saver buddy, Joe, and the sympathetic moon, overlooking the world as time stands still.

Lionsgate has unfortunately elected to only release a DVD of The Future, avoiding the extra costs of HD production. Luckily, the film looks quite stunning in its original 1.78:1 aspect ration for just SD. July’s cute outfits and striking blue eyes pop within her trendy apartment, while Linklater’s feathered hair contains fine textural detail. The low budget special effects even look quite natural within this transfer. The subtle, yet important soundtrack, featuring Beach House and Peggy Lee, is perfectly utilized and sounds nice and full in the 5.1 Dolby Digital mix. All dialogue is pronounced and distinguished within this fairly low key film. There are optional English and Spanish subtitles for those who’d like them.

Audio Commentary with writer/director/star Miranda July
This track is one of the more sleepy I’ve endured. There are lengthy gaps of silence throughout, and when July finally finds something to speak on, it is more often than not something we already know from watching the film. You’d think as someone who is involved in every aspect of the film there would be plenty to comment on, but July is actually quite boring here. Occasionally she’ll spill some interesting production tidbits or story origins, but most of it is covered in the more interesting supplements.

Making “The Future”
This is a brief, generally generic ‘making of’ bit, but it does divulge some background information on casting and production. Just as much, or more in fact, than the lengthy commentary track.

Deleted Scene
This was a scene that hit the cutting room floor, but explains what is going on in the background of one of the early apartment scenes. It is edited here to be a humorous outline to help you get work done around the house by hiding distractions.

Theatrical Trailer
Like any good trailer, it manages to capture the feeling of the film, whimsical, subtly funny and obviously strange. It might spill a few too many beans in the process, but sometimes that is unavoidable, marketing wise.

Miranda July is working against the grain here, pitching high concept performance art into the world of film through the lens of a hipster past her adolescent prime. For some, that’s all they’ll see, but for others it will strike an impactful chord. Within, there is much humor to be found, natural feeling relationships to appertain to, and a modern conundrum that an entire generation is currently experiencing. The Future doesn’t escape its shortcomings, but it is a surreal success non-the-less. July remains an indie icon, fearlessly pursuing her own visions with the utmost tyrannical control.

Movie rating – 3

Disc Rating – 2