While We Are Young

Written and Directed by Noah Baumbach

“While We’re Young” tells the story of a close to middle aged couple who are going through little predicaments. They have ideas of a past baby opportunity, a several year making of a film, and the just blandness of their lives. They have friends who are like the classic grown up type of people but who just seem totally in their own zone. This film really showed how a myriad of feelings can come up in midlife. Ben Stiller’s character has struggled with a making of a social awareness documentary that he is so passionate about. You can see the stiffness of his personality and the past relationship of tension with his father-in-law. Naomi Watts’ character is just playing by life. She tries to understand where her husband’s emotional state is but seems to be not feeling involved in their marriage. Soon in the film the main couple meets these two “in the moment” type of youth. They live in a loft, watch VHS, make ice cream, and do hallucinogenic drugs. They seem to in the film put flavor and life back into the lives of Stiller and Watts’ characters. Filmed in New York City, the vibe of living free and the counter-act of a responsible business oriented life occur simultaneously. There’s a scene where the 20-somethings invite the 40-somethings to a block party. There’s graffiti, hoses spraying water, beer, dancing, and smoking going on. It seems like Baumbach really captured the chilling out and carelessness of the youth. The magnificent differences in the stages of life between the two age groups are routinely exposed in this film. The concerns of careers and kids go from one scene to the creativity of letting loose and exploring your inner happiness in another. There is a moment though where you realize that even in being young and playful, inner actions can come out. This is a story of going day by day and taking on whatever comes. It is also the story of trying new things, meeting new people, and adding on a new chapter to living. I think that Baumbach wrote with a lot of thought as to how to make a film that showed a relationship teeter-tottering, a friendship that didn’t last, and a choice of how to move forward despite things we’re dealing with. There are many people in our worlds and we just have to pick our close ones.
(Review by Wyatt Head)