City Baby

I really enjoyed this film. Interestingly, I think for the same reasons some of the other reviewers here did not. The characters seemed all intentionally unlikable - yet they were interesting - at least to me. Also, it was not a heavily plotted film, but more of a slice of life. Personally, I enjoy watching films that are not so heavily plotted but are more like a small window into a world that we get to peek into for a little while. And here, form seems to follow function. In other words, the story just kind of meanders along as do the characters in the film. So, for me, the "structure" of the story - or rather lack there of - really suits the subject matter and theme of this film, which is a group of lost twenty somethings aimlessly drifting about their lives. I also feel that the director did a great job setting the mood and tone of the story - the music, the art direction, the lighting and camera work were all really cohesive and gave me a good feel of the world that these characters inhabit. I've never been to Portland, but the attitude felt a lot like my hometown. Everyone wanted to go to New York too - really just for the sake of going. If you left the small town to go to the big city, that was an accomplishment in itself. I get that from these characters here - but their real problem is that they have no real goals or any true intention to achieve them. I think the intention of the film is to cast a light on a lazy, aimless generation that expects everything for nothing and Cora Benesh's character and performance capture this attitude perfectly.