Film
The Apologies
A 14-minute German comedy about a playwright who loans his Berlin flat to an actress friend for audition rehearsals, then abandons her when his Broadway production implodes. It's a sharp, precisely-observed piece about artistic compromise, friendship, and the gap between how we see ourselves and how we actually behave. Perfect for film festivals or anyone who likes small, intelligent comedies with a bite.
If you liked this
In Good Company2004
A warm, funny film about professional disappointment and second chances that understands why people compromise their ideals without ever letting them off the hook for doing so.
But The rom-com machinery occasionally creaks. It's from the mid-2000s and shows its age in ways that matter.
Mistress America2015
Greta Gerwig captures that exact texture of urban friendship—exhilaration and betrayal happening at the same time, confidence masking chaos. Bracingly funny about ambition.
But It's deliberately loose and meandering; if you want plot clarity, this will frustrate you.
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World2012
A deadpan comedy about two people learning to be honest with each other while the world ends. It finds genuine tenderness in absurdity without ever becoming sentimental.
But The apocalypse premise feels tacked on sometimes. Some jokes land harder than others.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Apologies
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Stalker1979
Both are about the gap between what we want and what we'll actually do to get it; both suggest that ambition is partly a way of avoiding looking at ourselves.
Tarkovsky's glacially paced science fiction film about desire, desire, and desire. A man guides two others through a mysterious zone toward a room that grants wishes. It's about whether we actually want what we think we want—the same unstated question in 'The Apologies.'
But It's 160 minutes of Russian philosophical cinema with minimal dialogue and no plot momentum. Not everyone's definition of entertainment.
More like this (6)
The Squid and the Whale2005
Noah Baumbach's brutal comedy about a divorce where everyone's self-deception is laid bare. It understands how creative people rationalize hurting those closest to them.
But It's bleak and sometimes uncomfortably mean. The protagonist is genuinely hard to like.
Our Idiot Brother2011
A film about how one person's naivety exposes everyone else's compromises and pretence. Thoughtful about what we owe each other versus what we owe ourselves.
But It's gentler than it should be given its setup. Some emotional threads get soft-pedalled.
Your Name Engraved Herein2020
An indie comedy about artistic ambition and self-delusion that moves with real wit and won't condescend to anyone, even the most foolish characters.
But It's very deliberately understated. If you're looking for broad laughs, look elsewhere.
Funny People2009
Judd Apatow's three-hour meditation on ambition, failure, and whether funny people are actually good people. Surprisingly serious underneath the comedy.
But It's 3 hours long and drags in the middle. Some scenes outlast their welcome.
The Good Girl2002
A smart, unsentimental comedy about a woman making small, terrible decisions that compound. Understands boredom and fantasy as actual dangers.
But It's quiet and a bit melancholy. The humour is dry and sometimes easy to miss.
The Reckoning1970
Both are short, precisely-observed pieces about theatre people lying to themselves and each other about what their art justifies; both use the theatrical world as a lens for honesty.
A Mike Nichols television play about a playwright and his wife whose marriage becomes a performance that's slowly revealed to be a performance. Extraordinarily smart about artistic temperament and manipulation.
But It's shot like a TV play from 1970—confined, theatrical, monochrome. The pacing is deliberate to the point of testing patience.
People
Cast
Directing
- Hal HartleyDirector
Writing
- Hal HartleyWriter