Touted as the 'American Indie discovery of the year' by Hannah McGill, the artistic director of the EIFF, I trotted along to this with interest. It didn't disappoint. Shot in austere black and white with intimate camera-work, its 'indie' origins are apparent. What was perhaps more unexpected, was the way in which the narrative draws you into the lives of two self-confessed 'misanthropes' with equally squirm-inducing and charming measure. This really is 'Before Sunset' without all the self-conscious acting-out (which has always left me on the fence-post when it comes to Linklater). Moreover, I found all the characters to be wholly believable because the relationships between them are never simple; rather, they are messy, complicated and full of hidden agendas. This film is like a relationship on fast forward: you see the flirting, the bickering, the exhilaration, the heartbreak and the disintegration all within the space of 24 hours. Is this the meaning of cinema verite?
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