2010 Sundance Day 4: Katie Aselton’s The Freebie

Sorry for the long wait folks — film festivals tend to zap the energy and usual available time I have to write dwindles down to very little especially when one is trying to see as many films as possible — but I’m back on track and shall be back-tracking on some of my coverage that I’ll yet to upload. Today was my final day at the fest, grabbed a trio of films and regret having left the festival missing out on a handful of titles: e.g. Catfish and a couple of docs. I’ll flash back to the world preem for Katie Aselton’s debut The Freebie – a relationship comedy (among the eight films selected in the NEXT section) which also happens to be a mumblecore offering — it’s no wonder since Aselton’s significant other happens to be one of the Duplass brothers (they managed to stamp their name on several films at the fest this year)….

….The Freebie, like many films in the low-fi, no budget section works with a premise and milks it for all it’s worth. It relates to a couple giving each other a free “pass”, in this case the opportunity to break away from monotony of a long term relationship for one night only – a propositional concept not unlike what we saw with Humpday. But Aselton sees an opportunity to explore legal adultery with both a comedic and dramatic tone and I was left with the impression that mumblecore does indeed have more place for growth and that adding established actors to the mix helps overcome some of the trappings that I often complain about. What I liked best from the rom com/drama, is the instantly likable Dax Shepard and Aselton pairing – doing what couples do best: deep-seeded 1-on-1 convos that reveal our incapacity to handle uncharted situations, and the more mature subject matter which is not discussed enough between long term couples. Full Review Coming Soon.