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The Background

The film is an engaging, moving and frequently funny look at a variety of different relationships. As such, it’s one of the most original indie debuts for some time and a surefire contender for one of the best films of the year.

The Story

John Hawkes (Sol Star from Deadwood) plays Richard, a shoe salesman whose wife has recently left him and who, in the opening scene, misguidedly tries to impress his two kids by setting his hand on fire. His sons, however, have preoccupations of their own: 7 year old Robby (Brandon Ratcliff) is conducting an anonymous internet relationship with a stranger and 14 year old Peter (Miles Thompson) becomes a guinea pig for the experiments of three neighbourhood girls. Meanwhile, July plays Christine, a sweet-natured performance artist who falls for Richard.

The Good

The performances are wonderfully naturalistic and utterly delightful. July is adorable as Christine and Hawkes shines as the troubled, but essentially good-hearted Richard. The child cast are nothing short of astonishing, particularly Thompson and Ratcliff but also Carlie Westerman, who’s incredibly grown-up and serious as the 12 year-old, marriage-obsessed Sylvie.

The film is packed full of memorable images (Richard’s flaming hand; a painting in a tree; a doomed goldfish etc) and there are several superb scenes. The potentially dodgy sex chat scene is reminiscent of Todd Solondz’s Happiness, in that it is funny, touching and horrifying at the same time. However, July handles her material confidently, in a way that brings out the humour and the humanity of the scene. As an amusing aside, in the film’s other controversial scene, the phrase ‘Minnie Ha-Ha’ only came about because censors insisted the teenage girls couldn’t say the word ‘blowjob’.

The Conclusion

In short, Me, You and Everyone We Know is an extremely enjoyable film that is by turns funny, moving and genuinely romantic. Here’s hoping she makes another film soon. Highly recommended.