The Future (2011)
Written and Directed by Miranda July
It’s been a long six years since Miranda July wowed me with her feature debut, Me and You and Everyone We Know. I had been greatly anticipating her next big-screen project. The Future arrived with lesser fanfare and mixed reviews. And having just viewed it, I can see exactly why.
The Future is far less accessible than her previous film. Complete with a scratchy, cutesy voice, July narrates some scenes from the perspective of a to-be-adopted cat. Also, her character is followed by her favorite yellow t-shirt. Hamish Linklater, who plays July’s boyfriend, stops time and has a conversation with the moon. Yes, Me and You and Everyone We Know wasn’t exactly conventional, but July goes much, much further off the reservation with The Future. I know July doesn’t do strange things for the sake of being strange. I believe she finds truth and meaning in the smallest, oddest things in life. She’s an artist; she makes bold choices, broad strokes and doesn’t fall victim to average or typical storytelling. In fact, I love this about her. She’s a brave, beautiful soul, and I’ll watch anything she does. There’s simply no one like her at all. Even if I don’t quite get what she’s doing, I know I’m getting something completely original and thoughtful with her.
I can’t recommend The Future to casual moviegoers, but die-hard fans of her first film will surely take away something positive from this viewing experience. They may even be charmed by it as I was.
Ah yes, I do remember hearing that this was narrated by a cat. That could be part of what made me look over this one.
I’ll catch this someday, though, simply because I found July to be more interesting than irritating in her first film.
Yeah, it’s worth a look but keep your expectations on the low side. The cat narration was a bit much for me. Ha!