The Maryland Film Festival ran from May 8-12, featuring over 50 feature length films and 75 short films. This yearly festival shows films primarily at The Charles Theatre in Baltimore along with other local screens. Feel free to check out the link for the full listing of films. I was fortunate enough to catch three titles (even though I wish I had the chance to see many more). Since these three films won’t be out in theaters for awhile, I’ll give you a little preview here.
Joe Swanberg’s film Drinking Buddies is about a pair of coworkers at a Chicago craft brewery. Luke (Jake Johnson) and Kate (Olivia Wilde) hang out at work, share plenty of beers, eat lunch together, and flirt on occasion. Kate seems to be interested in moving out of Luke’s friend zone, but he’s already in a serious long term relationship with Jill (Anna Kendrick) and he’s got a great thing going with her. Kate has a more casual dating relationship with an older guy Chris (Ron Livingston) and altogether the four of them get along pretty well despite the undercurrents of desire crossing between the pairs. Swanberg is known for his mumblecore filmography, and while this still has that aesthetic it’s really accessible. The dialogue seems really natural and unscripted, but genuinely interesting and funny.
These characters are sharply drawn and each have their moments where you’re their biggest fan or want to shake them. Wilde is the lead in the film, and it’s honestly my favorite role I’ve ever seen her in. She’s raw here, an essentially functioning alcoholic, and seems like a 20-something year old you would find in any city. Johnson has been gaining speed in his career after becoming known for his role as Nick on New Girl. I find him fun to watch in anything because he has a really natural knack for comedic timing and line delivery. This movie is a lot of fun, hitting great emotional beats while really making you crave a beer something fierce. I definitely recommend seeking it out.
After the film, Joe Swanberg walked to the front of the theater with a can of Duckpin Ale brewed by Baltimore’s Union Brewery for a Q&A. He delved into his inspiration for the film coming down to two things. The first is the element of craft beer, which as a self-proclaimed beer geek and home brewer, Swanberg said he appreciates how craft beer is still a regional industry. It inspired him how similar the craft beer and independent filmmaking industries were—both attempting to make their own way amongst the controlling corporations in their fields. He also discussed the idea of “craft alcoholism” and how some people who over indulge in the finer beers can have the same characteristics of your garden variety alcoholic, but because what they’re drinking is specialty they can deflect any dependency they might have on it. I’ll say that this isn’t the focus of the film at all, but it’s an interesting background piece of the film. Characters come home from bars and crack open a beer. Kate comes into work in the morning and pours herself a beer. It’s never addressed, but it’s certainly noticeable.
Swanberg’s other inspiration for the film is his personal experiences before marrying his wife. Not that Drinking Buddies is autobiographical, but he definitely related to some of the dynamics between the characters. He was interested in depicting situations that weren’t technically cheating, but tip toeing the line of inappropriate behavior between flirtatious friends. He said the films that moved him when planning this movie were The Heartbreak Kid (1972), Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (which he said might be his favorite film), and Love in the Afternoon (1972). He discussed a bit as well how the actors in his movie had almost no prep time yet had an organic chemistry on set almost immediately. It definitely came through when watching the film because everyone seemed so at ease with each other. It might have been risky to throw people together and hope for the best but it came together along with the craft brewery back drop of the movie to make something really great.
Drinking Buddies is scheduled to have a VOD release in July, and will be distributed in theaters by Magnolia starting August 23.