Greta Gerwig may have abandoned mumblecore, but the genre lives on in “American Animal,’’ directed by Matt D’Elia, who also plays Jimmy, the title character.
The hirsute, jobless young man is dying of some unnamed ailment, which has him coughing up blood and popping prescription pills.
The talkfest takes place mostly in one day in the fashionably decorated Los Angeles duplex Jimmy shares (platonically) with James (Brendan Fletcher). The latter is about to start a job at a book publisher, an idea that distresses Jimmy, who prefers to lounge around in his American Apparel underwear and sees no need for him or his roomie to resort to working.
On this particular day, the slackers are visited by two women named Angela, one blond (Mircea Monroe), the other (Angela Sarafyan) not. They spend the afternoon talking about Dean Martin, watching TV, smoking pot and discussing the propriety of licking another person’s face. (Jimmy thinks it’s OK, the others don’t.) It comes as no surprise when Jimmy and the non-blond Angela go at it on the couch while Beethoven’s Fifth plays on the soundtrack.
“American Animal” is a wildly experimental debut for D’Elia, who uses hand-held digital cameras and lots of jump cuts. It is well-acted and features witty repartee. Look for more good things to come from this talent.