Reality Bites for Hipsters in “The Unidentified”

Erin Ecklund as Sophie in "The Unidentified"

Kevan Tucker’s “The Unidentified” exemplifies what is good about indie film when done right.   From defying conventional Hollywood story structure to casting no-name actors, “The Unidentified” is idealistic, much like the film’s characters.  Most are in search of something bigger than themselves.   They are lost and a bit confused a la “Reality Bites” (1994). However these characters are far more political than those yuppie twentysomethings in the aforementioned film.

Estlin (played by Jay Sullivan) and his friends are hipsters who attend Washington DC protests and struggle with love and career in Billyburg (as in Williamsburg, Brooklyn).   We’ve seen these growing pains before but in “The Unidentified,” it somehow feels fresh.   With this “new air” there is a lack of cynicism and contrivances that often permeates coming of age / woe-is-me type films.    Appropriately, the film’s great soundtrack is comprised of This is Ivy League and Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah.  “The Unidentified” is being released on DVD and in the Digital Arena by Vanguard Cinema on May 25, 2010.

Author: JoannaRudolph

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