LOL (2006)
dir: Joe Swanberg
I dug out my circa 2000 DVD player and watched the first of my months-old netflix: Joe Swanberg’s sophomore effort, LOL. The film centers around 3 young guys all confusing their relationships with technology. There’s the musician pretending his fantasy internet girl is his real girlfriend, the distanced boyfriend connecting with his girlfriend via his cell phone, and lastly an emotionally stunted ichat addict in a long term relationship, played by the director.
Honestly made and raw in its presentation, the film resonates. As I watched, my empathy for these characters led me all over the map. Listening to people irrationally ignoring what is so plain to everyone else, for 81 minutes, was draining. That said, I enjoyed watching it a lot. It’s easy to point out the missteps of these exaggerated characters, but the questions raised about how people of our generation interact, and choose to interact are probably more relevant than we’d care to admit.
LOL is available on DVD through Benten Films.