Miranda July spends more time as a performance artist than as a filmmaker, so it makes sense that her second film, The Future, feels a bit like a performance piece. That also likely speaks to why its quirky charm works for some but for others, they feel it represents the worst side of independent film. But that’s what art is, right? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our 10th Anniversary celebration series with July’s 2011 film The Future.
Miranda July and Hamish Linklater are a perfect couple in The Future.
Linklater’s recently appeared on Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass on Netflix and was amazing in that role, so it’s great to jump back 10 years to see him in this film. He and July, playing his girlfriend, are the perfect 30-something couple, happy with their existence but unsure how to move things forward. That’s when the cat Paw-Paw enters their lives, and suddenly, they feel like their lives are coming to an end.
From there, it’s a bit of an existential journey with each character – Linklater as Jason and July as Sophie – working through their own interpretation of the future and their position in life. But where do we land on the film as a whole versus the various parts?
There’s also Paw-Paw the cat and the Moon as well.
The first half focuses on their relationship. The second half focuses on them struggling with where they think their lives might lead. But there’s also Paw-Paw the cat, talking to us in metaphors about life and the death. At the same time, we also have the Moon, talking to Jason while he’s frozen time and is struggling about whether to unfreeze it or not.
The Future is a unique film that works for us, but likely won’t work for everyone.
July gives us a lot to discuss with this quirky, unique film. Not everyone will like it – we even are a bit split on it – but it’s clearly a film from a unique voice and certainly worth watching and revisiting. Check it out then tune in. The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins!
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Film Sundries
- Watch this on Apple or Amazon, or find other places at JustWatch
- Theatrical trailer
- Poster artwork
- Flickchart
- Letterboxd
