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December 13, 2011

Pick of the Week

Daddy Longlegs (KimStim/Zeitgeist) —Though only in their mid-20s, filmmaking wunderkinds Josh and Benny Safdie have been proving for years that creative juices are coursing through their veins. With Daddy Longlegs, however, the Safdies up the autobiographical ante in their fictional universe. That they manage to do this while retaining their own uniquely whimsical vision is no small feat. If this makes for a jarring experience, one that is bound to unsettle as many viewers as it electrifies, it is also the exact type of wake-up jolt that American independent cinema could use right now (and by ‘right now’ I mean always). From the first frame to the last, it is abundantly clear that not only was Daddy Longlegs made far away from a (major or mini) studio assembly line; more than that, it has the furious energy of a life-or-death act of personal expression (read the full review here). ***Of course, being that this is the Safdie Brothers, the DVD release contains a bunch of extra goodies—a making of documentary, deleted scenes, several hilarious promotional pieces associated with the film’s theatrical release, etc.—that only add to the release’s charm.*** Treat yourself right and buy the DVD now.