My girl crush on Miranda July continues with the release of new self-written and directed film 'The Future'. Sophie (Miranda July) and Jason (Hamish Linklater) are two individuals entwined in a relationship despite the fact that for years they've managed to veer away from commitment and responsibility.
This and their perspective on life changes radically when they decide to adopt a stray cat. Doing so literally alters the course of time and tests their faith, in each other and individually. The story unfolds, narrated by Paw Paw the rescue cat and in typical July fashion, is a breathtakingly fearless portrait of the human condition. As with a lot of her work the mundane aspects of life become fascinating and something to delve deeper into.
The lovely folks over at the Anti-room had a post a while back about female crushes. Not quite the same but I've had an artistic crush on Miranda July for quite some time.
July is a woman of many talents-Filmmaker, performance artist, musician, actress and writer- and seems to possess a relentless work ethic.
It was her first feature length film 'Me and You and Everyone We Know' from 2005 that brought her to my attention. I'm always hesitant to wax lyrical about films unnecessarily but i was really touched by the writing. She managed to capture something very human and fragile and relay it onto film. As a result of watching this it made me want to find out more about her work.
She grew up in Berkeley, California where she began writing plays and staging them at all ages clubs. Her strength, in my opinion; is her ability to create extraordinary stories from everyday 'mundane' life. The results range from dark and twisted to a sense of joy and clarity.At the heart of each strange,and often comic tale lies the basic human need for love,understanding and acceptance.
"In July’s modern world, the mundane is transcendent and everyday people become radiant characters who speak their innermost thoughts, act on secret impulses, and experience truthful human moments that at times approach the surreal. They seek together-ness through tortured routes and find redemption in small moments that connect them to someone else on earth"
Her videos, performances, and web-based projects have been presented at sites such as the MOMA, the Guggenheim and in the 2002 and 2004 Whitney Biennials. Her collection of stories, No One Belongs Here More Than You, was published in 2007 and won the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award. Her fiction has been printed in The Paris Review, Harper’s, and The New Yorker.
There was a particular idea in 'This Person' that i loved.
The lead character wakes up one day to find that all people that have caused her pain in the past-the jocks who made fun of her, teachers, and ex-lovers- have come back to throw a party in her honor. They explain that all the pain they caused her was done intentionally, to transform her into a better, stronger person. That without those experiences she would not have grown and developed as a person. "Certain jerks and idiots and assholes appear from time to time, and it is as if they have had plastic surgery, their faces are disfigured with love," July writes.
Her art encourages viewing things from a different perspective; lifting your consciousness above the everyday tasks and roles that we play out in real life. She is also heavily involved in using the internet as a artistic tool to encourage participation in art. For example 'Learning to Love You More' is both a web site and series of non-web presentations comprised of work made by the general public in response to assignments given by artists Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher.
