Lost in an endlessly growing queue and buried beneath thousands of rows of titles, there are a few hidden Netflix Gems.
“Tiny Furniture” (2010)
NR
98 minutes, Comedy/Drama
Lena Dunham is a swirling mess of postgrad uncertainty. While never depressing, the heavy malaise of having no clue of where to go after college is consistently a motif in the 26-year-old actor, writer and director’s repertoire. “Tiny Furniture” (directed and written by Dunham), which attracted enough attention to land her a role HBO’s “Girls,” is no exception.
Following graduation, Aura (played by Dunham), an aspiring filmmaker, moves back in with her mother and young overachieving sister. Aura can’t seem to find much help in her family or her free-spirited childhood friend Charlotte (Jemima Kirke from “Girls”).
Dunham’s characters can be summed up into two categories: men and women. Where the men are too cool or witty to be looked at as actual people, and the women are exaggerations of personalities, either very smart or very vivacious. If this were how every character acted fit into this film, it would be unbearable.
However, in the midst of these cool and funny guys, and these smart and fun girls is the protagonist, Aura. Who is never the best, most beautiful or coolest. She is just normal. An average girl who appears even more average as these over the top characters eclipse her. Most notably is the fact that Aura is very aware of her lame stock compared with the others in her life. This juxtaposition coupled with the protagonist’s humor makes the film engaging and enjoyable.
“Tiny Furniture” is not very different from “Girls” in its approach to the difficulty of finding oneself after graduation, and the protagonist’s odd relationships with the men in her life. If you’ve watched and enjoyed “Girls,” “Tiny Furniture” isn’t going to disappoint.
Bonus awesome hidden movie you’ve already seen: “Kick Ass” (2010)
With a sequel opening next year, now might be a good time to watch Chloë Grace Moretz impale baddies with a spear one more time.
