I Am Not A Hipster (2012) – Filmmaker Confounds Expectations

[From Don R. Lewis over at FilmThreat.com, comes this jaw-dropped review from the 2012 Sundance Film Festival]

I am having a really, really hard time writing this review. Why? Because writer/director Destin Cretton’s film “I Am Not a Hipster” not only completely confounded my expectations of what the film is about (in a good way), it moved me, made me laugh, made me think and has an amazing performance by actor and musician Dominic Bogart that, honestly, blew me away. As a critic, I never try to go too crazy on a review, lavishing on praise that might die away a few days later. But I saw the film last night, couldn’t write the review then, thought about it for hours and even slept on it and here I am, ready to scream from the rooftops how good this little indie film is.

On the surface and in descriptions, “I Am Not a Hipster” is about a talented yet “tortured” musician named Brook (Bogart) who, when not creating songs that move people to the point of instantly idolizing him, is busy being a total asshole as often as he can. And that description is true. But when coupled with the film title (which absolutely has to change before the film sees release), my hackles were raised going in as I expected some masturbatory exercise in what it means “to be an artist.” This film is not that.

Well, not entirely. It does examine how tough it can be to create because let’s be honest, to have the courage to put something into the world requires some pain and suffering and in order to express yourself, you kind of have to be sensitive and have deep feelings. But “I Am Not a Hipster” just tacks those ideas onto a complex character who through all his flaws, you want to see succeed.

While Brook is indeed somewhat of a bastard, he’s also incredibly talented (he sings and performs throughout the film), but he’s also a multi-dimensional character. Cretton does a fairly amazing job fleshing out this guy who, one minute is pouring out tears as he watches a tsunami destroy a village and the next railing against the new breed of internet inspired artists who are having fun and expressing themselves but somehow stepping on his artistic toes. But Brett has another side as well and that comes out as his three lovely sisters Joy, Spring and Merrily (Minoff, Coleman, Erickson) arrive with their aloof dad (Harding) to spread the ashes of their recently deceased mother off the shore of a San Diego beach. We learn more about Brook through his sisters and discover he’s actually kind of a great guy who just feels things deeply and has trouble understanding the world he lives in. They try to help him and their love for one another grounds the film and gives it heart.

Read the rest of the review over at FilmThreat.com