Writer/actress Zoe Kazan stars in Ruby Sparks as the title character that is created out of Calvin’s (Paul Dano) mind as he is writing his latest novel. In addition to Kazan, Way Too Indie outlines our other favorite “Indie Film Pin-Up Girls” that include; Brit Marling, Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Olsen, Miranda July and more.

Brit Marling

Unofficially dubbed the Sundance Darling a couple years back, this blonde-haired beauty has written and starred in two sci-fi-esque Fox Searchlight films: Sound of My Voice and Another Earth. In the latter, she stars as Rhoda Williams, a young girl whose entire life is thrown for a loop when she crosses paths with a composer in a tragic accident. In Sound of My Voice, she portrays the mysterious Maggie, a cult leader who claims to be from the future. Now, she’s working on her latest outing with Voice director Zal Batmanglij, The East, which stars Marling alongside Ellen Page, Alexander Skarsgard and Patricia Clarkson.

Every life is death, and most deaths are suicides. Some are just more gradual than others. — Maggie

Miranda July

If Brit Marling is to indie than Miranda July would be to arthouse. She portrays herself (as she stars/directs/writes) in her directorial debut masterpiece Me and You and Everyone We Know; a quirky but creative artist who often struggles to fit in. July’s second film The Future is another prime example of her adorable yet slightly flawed character.

If you really love me, let’s make a vow – right here, together… right now. — Christine

Zooey Deschanel

It is impossible to have a indie pin-up girl feature without including everyone’s favorite, Zooey Deschanel. Zooey turned heads when she starred in the hit romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer alongside Joseph Gordon–Levitt as Summer, a girl not sold on true love. The bright-eyed comic talent is now starring in the popular sitcom New Girl on Fox as another quirky and offbeat chick with a sense of humor trying to figure out life in her early thirties.

You weren’t wrong, Tom. You were just wrong about me. — Summer

Elizabeth Olsen

The other Olsen sister has been busy making a name for herself with smaller, critically acclaimed films, like the tense and dramatic Martha Marcy May Marlene. In the film, Olsen plays Martha, a traumatized ex-member of an abusive cult trying to separate her past’s memories from her current day-to-day. Olsen has several films in the works including Theresa Raquin and Very Good Girls.

I am a teacher and a leader. — Martha

Parker Posey

Deemed the “Queen of Indies” in the 90’s by none other than ‘Time’ magazine, Parker Posey certainly deserves to be mentioned on this list. Even though she has been doing independent films for a while now, she still is as busy as ever appearing on TV Shows (recently on New Girl with Zooey Deschanel) as well as several films.

I watch soap operas. I bake brownies. Normalcy is coursing through my veins. — Jackie-O

Jessica Chastain

2011 was the year of Jessica Chastain as she starred in seven films, including The Help, The Debt and The Tree of Life. In The Tree of Life, Chastain stars opposite Brad Pitt as Mrs. O’Brien the matriarch of a family in Texas in 1956. Told through the eyes of her eldest son, Jack, the story revolves around the family’s struggles and hardships that leave lasting impressions on their children. Chastain has not slowed down since last year and can be seen in next year’s Mama and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby.

Grace doesn’t try to please itself. Accepts being slighted, forgotten, disliked. Accepts insults and injuries. — Mrs. O’Brien

Zoe Kazan

The granddaughter of famed filmmaker Elia Kazan, Zoe Kazan had movie making in her blood at a young age. After acting in several movies like It’s Complicated and Happythankyoumoreplease, Kazan wrote her first feature film this year with Ruby Sparks. Kazan also stars as the title character in the movie that tells the story of famed writer Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano) as he creates the love of his life on paper, and she miraculously comes appears in his apartment. Kazan has several films in the works that she stars in, including the newest from Joss Whedon – In Your Eyes.

Just don’t tell me how it ends, okay? — Ruby

Debuting on Blu-ray and DVD Oct. 30
From the directors of Little Miss Sunshine comes a “charming and delightful” (Marshall Fine,Huffingtonpost.com) romantic comedy starring Paul Dano and writer-actress Zoe Kazan. Struggling with writer’s block and a lackluster love life, once-famous novelist Calvin (Dano) creates a beautiful fictitious character named Ruby (Kazan) who inspires him. But not only does this bring his work to life- it also brings Ruby to life- literally! Face-to-face with an actual relationship with his once virtual girlfriend, Calvin must now decide whether to pen this love story or let it write itself. Also starring Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas and Elliott Gould, Ruby Sparks is a smart coming-of-age story that proves true love can be remarkably magical.

The Future is Miranda July’s long-awaited second full-feature film which she once again directed, wrote and starred in. Her first film was the highly acclaimed Me and You and Everyone We Know (I adored it enough to give it a perfect 10 rating in my review) which was released 6 years ago. This whimsical film shares some of the same themes as her first film, both feature a 30-something character focusing on seizing moments in life, although is one tends to be more pessimistic than the former.

Sophie (Miranda July) is a dance teacher for children and Jason (Hamish Linklater) does tech support from home. They have been together for 4 years and as the film states, they are in the middle of the beginning of their relationship. They do not get out much as a couple and live rather boring and depressing lives. In an effort to change things up a bit they decide to adopt a cat.

The couple came to the conclusion that once they adopt the cat, someone will always have to be at home to look after it. They see the cat sort of like most people see a baby, that they will be settled down and have responsibilities once they have it. Since they have thirty days before their adopted cat can be taken home, they treat it as if their lives are over once that happens. They take it as an opportunity to do things that they have never done before, which can and ultimately does, change their lives forever.

Sophie sets a goal for herself to do a new dance every day for thirty days. She became so obsessed with looking up YouTube videos of people dancing, assumingly for inspiration, that she cancels her internet access. Jason vows to be more aware of his surrounds and take every opportunity given to him, even if that opportunity is an environmental solicitor that goes door to door selling trees.

The cat, appropriately named Paw-Paw, narrates to the audience (the voiceover is done by Miranda July) on how he can barely wait to be adopted by the couple. His anticipation is so high that he is counting every second that passes by only to realize time is moving by so slow. The cat fantasizes about being outside, where there is no hours to keep track of, where you can be free. Ultimately, I believe the film is about how we are often caged in life, about how we can be so wrapped up with useless things such as viral videos on the internet instead of enjoying life to the fullest.

As a result of their new outlook on life both Sophie and Jason end up meeting new people. Jason befriends a peculiar old gentleman he met on his door to door route. Sophie’s new friendship turns into an affair perhaps after realizing that she was not happy with her life. Or maybe it is just a part of her ambitious new life decisions. It could even be as simple as having 1,000 count bed sheets.

There are many similarities between her first film and this one. The Future begins with a voice-over, just like Me and You and Everyone We Know did. Both films involve young children who are very adult-like while the adults are often child-like. In both films she has conversations with herself portraying two different voices. Both have an odd sexual scene. They even have the same overall theme of living each day as it if were your last and that people have the power to stop time.

Of course The Future does have it’s differences. The number of supporting roles is much smaller so there is not much for subplots. Sophie feels like her best days are behind her while Christine from Me and You and Everyone We Know thinks that her best days are yet to come. The soundtrack in this did not jump out at me like it did in her other film. Change is not bad, in fact, I am glad this film does have it’s differences. Unfortunately, the changes were not all that good.

Sophie is not a very likeable character or one that you find yourself rooting for. The off-beat and quirky character at the beginning is not the same one you find at the end. Both characters are self-absorbed but Jason seems to be sympathetic of the two. I enjoyed their relationship, which can be best described as odd, as ones in real-life typically are. However, I felt the characters themselves were a little disappointing. The cat is who I empathized with the most.

I knew going into The Future that I would probably be slightly disappointed with such high and impossible expectations I had. Having those high of expectations is a trap that most people, including myself, fall into often times. But most people agree that this film is not as good as her first, I concur. It had flashes of brilliance but all said and done it was a bit underwhelming.

That being said, Miranda July has the rare talent of creating original independent films with her unique visions. There is no denying her artistic abilities; which is why I will still be highly anticipating her next film. Hopefully we will not have to wait 6 years this time because as we learned from Paw-Paw, waiting can be cruel.

To me this creative artsy indie comedy is about as close you can come to a perfect and complete film. This is my fifth time watching it and I can confidently say it’s in my top ten favorite films of all time but I am apparently not alone. Roger Ebert said it was the best film at the Sundance festival in 2006 and recently listed it as one of his top ten films of the decade.

Me and You and Everyone We Know centers around a quirky and lonely artist named Christine Jesperson (Miranda July) who works as an elderly cab driver. While she is transporting a client they end up in a shoe store where Christine meets a newly single shoe salesman. Her immediate fascination is evident but his is not so much. He is going through a divorce and has fear of losing his children. They seem to have become isolated from him from the recent divorce. Richard eventually warms up to the idea of being with Christine but did he wait too long?

Miranda July directed, wrote and stars in this indie film. I absolutely adore her character, she is a perfect fit. The first time watching I thought to myself, what an amazing casting decision (little did I know she was the one that directed/wrote it). This exact thing also happened to me during the film Garden State. She earned two nominations at the 2006 Independent Spirit Awards for Best First Screenplay and Best First Feature.

This holds true for all of the characters in the movie, each one seems perfect for their role. There is a little bit of everything in Me and You and Everyone We Know, from a creepy middle-age pedophile to the dying elderly to young children and art directors, each with their own unique personality. Perhaps representing different stages of life.

There are a few theories to what the movie is ultimately about, but what I get from the movie is the notion of, “Enjoy your time and don’t waste life”. This is evident in one of the opening lines of the movie that goes, “I’m going to live each day as if it were our last….and its life and it’s happening right now”. Also when the goldfish is stuck on the top of the vehicle, Christine says, “Let’s just enjoy the time we have left together”. Or when the father is talking about time outs, “There are no time-outs, there’s not enough time for… time-out.” And finally at the end when the guy is tapping the coin in the pole and says, “I’m just passing the time”.

But it’s also about what keeps us from being able to be connected. In the scene where Christine is in the elevator she wants to hand the art director her film but rather than just accepting it from her, she says that she needed to send it in the mail, otherwise it will get lost.

With love being a common theme that all characters share, another theory could be about the hardship people have to connect to one another. Christine’s attraction to Richard is rather obvious after his failed relationship with his ex-wife. Although the art director’s life seems complete and admirable to Christine, her life is missing love, which is seeks for with help of the internet. Richard’s co-worker knows it’s wrong to go after the younger girls but that doesn’t stop him from playful banter. The neighbor’s girl is completely focused on being a homemaker with her hope chest of matching bath towels and interest in kitchen appliances, odd to by that domesticated at the age of 10. Richard’s youngest boy is having a bizarre internet romance with a stranger, perhaps to fill the void of his mother no longer being a part of his life. The younger girls are curious about their sexuality and convince Peter to help them out. Which leads to a controversial scene involving a sexual situation with children but it’s not as bad as some people claim. It’s fairly innocent and is fueled by curiosity in which all adolescents go through.

One scene that bluntly shows love and relationship is when Christine and Richard walk down the street together after meeting each other. It’s brought up that the block they are walking down represents their lives. After the first few steps he says that this is now the beginning of a relationship where no one is sick of each other yet. By the end of their block they will be at the end of their lives.

The characters and the meaning are not the only things that were very well done, so is the soundtrack. It was spot on. I think it really completed the film as it helps the flow of transitioning between scenes and it just genuinely fits the overall mood of the film.

The only negative thing I can think of about this movie was one scene. After the two main characters share a walk together and she tries to catch a ride with him and he denies her by telling her to get out. I don’t think that scene had any real importance and could probably have done without. But that is being completely overcritical considering it’s only about a three minute scene.

I don’t think Me and You and Everyone We Know is for everyone, especially for mainstream acceptance. For most people will be hit or miss, you completely love it or completely hate it. If you enjoy independent films, this is an absolute don’t miss.