Entertainment

INDIE ‘STAIRS’ TAKES FLIGHT

JOE Shanberg’s “Hannah Takes the Stairs” be longs to an exciting new genre of indie Ameri can film called Mumblecore, after its talky but inarticulate characters.

The films have skimpy budgets, the dialogue is improvised, they are shot on shaky video cameras, and they feature a talented ensemble of young people who take turns acting, writing and directing.

Oh yes, full-frontal male and female nudity is a must.

Hannah – played by a super Greta Gerwig, who also co-wrote – is a pixie-haired woman in her early 20s who writes for a TV station in Chicago.

The fun begins with Hannah in the shower with newly jobless boyfriend Mike (Mark Duplass).

They don’t remain a couple much longer, and his place is taken by Hannah’s co-worker Paul (Andrew Bujalski). He, in turn, is replaced by still another co-worker, Matt (Kent Osborne), who gets naked in the bathtub with Hannah in the final scene.

How can a movie with such a charming cast (let’s not forget Ry Russo-Young as Hannah’s female roommate) and believable dialogue (seemingly taken from the actors’ real lives) go wrong? It can’t.

“Hannah Takes the Stairs” today opens a Mumblecore festival that unfolds though Sept. 4 at the IFC Center, on Sixth Avenue at Third Street.

HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS Running time: 83 minutes. Not rated (nudity, sexuality).