Let Them Chirp Awhile
Encyclopedia
Let Them Chirp Awhile is a 2007 independent drama-comedy by Jonathan Blitstein
Jonathan Blitstein
Jonathan Blitstein is an American playwright, and indie filmmaker. He is known for his indie film Let Them Chirp Awhile and his acclaimed play Keep Your Baggage With You for which he won the New York Innovative Theater Award...

, filmed in just eighteen days in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 during October 2006. The film was produced by Anouk Frosch and Jonathan Blitstein. It was photographed by Andrew Shulkind. The release began December 5, 2008 in select theaters. It received positive reviews in Variety, the Village Voice and TimeOut NY. Opening weekend in NYC had a sold out screening on Saturday December 6, 2008 with the cast in attendance for Q+A.

The film had its World Premiere at the 2007 Woodstock Film Festival
Woodstock Film Festival
The Woodstock Film Festival is an American film festival that was begun in 1999. The festival was first conceived as a part of the Woodstock '99 Music and Arts Festival, with movies being screened as part of that event.-History:...

 in Woodstock, NY where it received acclaim from both audiences and critics. The director of the festival, Meira Blaustein called the film a "a hidden gem" and praised Blitstein's "unique eye" during her introduction prior to the first screening, as the film had been accepted through regular submission.

Plot

The basic storyline of the film follows Bobby and Scott, two young men in their late twenties who are struggling to make careers out of their artistic dreams but their competitiveness with each other gets in the way. Bobby is a screenwriter and Scott is a musician but neither of them are productive because they don't believe in themselves and they share incredibly high standards for their work. Bobby meets an old lover, Deirdre, who is headed to Los Angeles and she begs Bobby to take care of her dog while she's gone. Bobby agrees but only in exchange for a sexual favor. Later, when Bobby makes the mistake of sharing an idea for the opening of his new screenplay with Scott, Scott tells their mutual friend, Hart, a playwright, and Hart steals the idea, incorporating it in his new play "Death of a Banker", a campy morality tale about the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...

 set to be performed off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...

 later that month. Bobby loses Deirdre's dog and tries to figure out a way to get out of the situation.

Production

Blitstein, was the youngest independent filmmaker ever to write, direct, produce, and edit a 35mm color feature-length film which was ultimately released in theaters. He wrapped shooting on October 24, 2006 when he was still twenty-three years old. After months of thinking and planning his script concept, Blitstein wrote the first draft script in 27 days and proceeded to assemble an indie crew composed mostly of friends he met at NYU film school. The total projected budget of the film was nearly $600,000, but because of donated 35mm film, equipment, and services from New York City rental houses and friends of Blitstein and Frosch, the film was completed on the last day of shooting with only $99,000. The film was funded by friends, family members, and Blitstein's own personal savings from his job as a waiter. Blitstein also "maxed out" more than seven credit cards. Locations used included Blitstein's East Village apartment, the apartments of his friends, and restaurants and local shops within walking distance. Blitstein convinced companies like Fender USA and Pabst Blue Ribbon to allow him to show their logos in the film to lend realism instead of using fake logos or covering logos which happens in many low-budget independent films. Blitstein cast the film by cold-calling agents of actors he was interested in working with. By convincing the agent's assistants to read his script, he got a foot in the door, and agents and actors began to express interest based on the script, even though Blitstein was an unknown filmmaker. The shoot was 18 days long and most of the film was shot in 1 or 2 takes because neither Blitstein or his production team knew how much film was going to arrive on set each day. Sometimes shots were done in a single take in order to save time and film. On the 12th day of the shoot, Blitstein collapsed due to stress and lack of sleep. He was admitted to the emergency room at Beth Israel Hospital nearby. Doctors discovered an unrelated non-life threatening kidney abnormality (Blitstein was born with a single kidney), and Blitstein quickly recovered, returning to set the next morning to complete the shoot. Blitstein edited the film in 47 days using a 12" mac laptop.

Theme

The film builds on the cinematic style of 1970s New Hollywood filmmakers like Hal Ashby, whose "The Last Detail" and "Harold and Maude" begin with slapstick comedy and slowly shift to straight drama as the characters begin to look inward and make self-discoveries, ultimately returning to a blend of comedy-drama at the film's denouement. Let Them Chirp Awhile attempts to capitalize on this style while also maintaining a sense of heightened realism in order to lend the film an originality distinguishing it from other indie films of the late 2000s.

Aaron Graham
Aaron Graham
Aaron Geddes Graham is a former professional American football center in the National Football League. He played six seasons for the Arizona Cardinals , the Oakland Raiders , and the Tennessee Titans ....

 of Uptown Magazine wrote that the film "[Owes] much more to the early, sprightly comedies of Brian De Palma (Greetings, Hi, Mom!) than to overplayed Mumblecore". The film has been repeatedly compared to mumblecore films such as Mutual Appreciation because of star Justin Rice although Blitstein has stated that he is not influenced by or associated with the mumblecore genre.

The result is a coming of age tale disguised within the indie genre. Because of its comedy-drama blend, it has been compared at talkbacks and forums at film festivals to films by Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, Todd Solondz and Richard Linklater.

"Let Them Chirp Awhile is a mix of realism and romanticism. Scoring the struggles of today's self-obsessed young people with the vintage sounds of melodramatic orchestral music, the film celebrates and satirizes their hopes, fears and dreams. The East Village becomes a place where everyday conflicts like having a meaningless idea appropriated by a friend, or a breakup are heightened to meet the characters' inflated visions of themselves. Let Them Chirp Awhile is as much a throwback to old films as it is a look forward into the destiny-anxiety that afflicts all of us in the digital age."

Cast

  • Justin Rice
    Justin Rice
    -Music career:Since 2001, he has played guitar for indie rock band Bishop Allen. He also co-wrote the music for the documentary The Bully Project with band-mate Christian Rudder.-Movie career:...

     — Bobby
  • Brendan Sexton III
    Brendan Sexton III
    Brendan Eugene Sexton III is an American actor.-Career:Born in Staten Island, New York, Sexton made his film debut in Todd Solondz's Welcome to the Dollhouse playing the troubled bully Brandon McCarthy, for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award...

     — Scott
  • Laura Breckenridge
    Laura Breckenridge
    Laura Breckenridge is an American actress born in Flourtown, Pennsylvania, most noted for her portrayal of 19-year-old college student Rose Sorelli on The WB's Related as a young woman who switches her major from pre-med to experimental theater...

     — Dara
  • Zach Galligan
    Zach Galligan
    Zachary Wolfe "Zach" Galligan is an American actor.-Biography:Galligan was born in New York City, the son of Carol Jean , a psychologist, and Arthur John Galligan, a lawyer who was a founding partner of the law firm of Dickstein Shapiro. He has a sister, Jessica, and attended Columbia University...

     — Hart Carlton
  • Pepper Binkley
    Pepper Binkley
    -Film:Stone * Asylum Seekers as "Maud"*Eavesdrop as "Joceyln"*Let Them Chirp Awhile as "Michelle"also audobook with the last song by nicholas sparks-Television:...

     — Michelle
  • Charlotte af Geijerstam — Charlotte
  • Amy Chow — Ariel
  • Anthony Rapp
    Anthony Rapp
    Anthony Deane Rapp is an American stage and film actor and singer best known for originating the role of Mark Cohen in the Broadway production of Rent in 1996 and later for reprising the role in the film version and the Broadway Tour of Rent in 2009...

     — Himself

Screenings

World Premiere at the 2007 Woodstock Film Festival
Woodstock Film Festival
The Woodstock Film Festival is an American film festival that was begun in 1999. The festival was first conceived as a part of the Woodstock '99 Music and Arts Festival, with movies being screened as part of that event.-History:...

 - October 11, 12, 2007 (Opening Night Screening)
  • Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival - October 26, November 1, 2007
  • Santa Fe Film Festival
    Santa Fe Film Festival
    The Santa Fe Film Festival is a Non-Profit Organization which presents important world cinema in a non-commercial context that represents aesthetic, critical and entertainment standards highlighting New Mexican film, new American and foreign film including revivals, retrospectives, independent...

     - November 28 - December 2, 2007 (Opening Night Screening)
  • CINE-WORLD Festival - Florida 2007
  • East Lansing Film Festival
    East Lansing Film Festival
    The East Lansing Film Festival is one of the large film festival in the state of Michigan. It screens over 100 films in five days, including several shorts programs. It is held yearly, usually in late March...

     - March 12–20, 2008
  • Filma Madrid Spain - March 28 - April 5 (European Premiere)
  • Sonoma Valley Film Festival
    Sonoma Valley Film Festival
    The Sonoma Valley Film Festival traditionally takes place in April in Sonoma, California and is hosted by the Sonoma Valley Film Society. The 10th anniversary of the film festival in 2007 honored two-time Academy Award winning director John Lasseter of Pixar and Disney Animation studios.The 11th...

     - 9 -13, 2008
  • Atlanta Film Festival
    Atlanta Film Festival
    The Atlanta Film Festival is an Academy Award qualifying, international film festival held in Atlanta, Georgia. Started in 1976 and occurring every April, the festival shows a diverse range of independent films, including genre films such as horror and sci-fi...

     - April 10–19, 2008
  • Rhode Island International Film Festival
    Rhode Island International Film Festival
    Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival takes place every year in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island as well as satellite locations throughout the state. Started in 1997, the Festival is produced by Flickers, the Newport Film/Video Society & Arts Collaborative, a 501 non-profit...

     (Centerpiece Film) - August 5–10, 2008
  • Mar del Plata International Film Film Festival Buenos Aires (South American Premiere) November 5–21, 2008

Awards

  • Winner - "Best Feature Film" - East Lansing Film Festival 2008
  • Finalst - "Independent Spirits Award" - Santa Fe Film Festival 2007
  • Finalist - NYU's "Richard Vague Award Foundation" 2007

External links

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