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      Yeast

      2008 1 hr. 18 min. Drama List
      Reviews 44% 50+ Ratings Audience Score An oblivious young woman tries to juggle two friendships. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

      View All (8) audience reviews
      Ravenswood R Too many characters given equal weight. Where are they all from and exactly why are they together for a weekend "reunion?" Why do the out of towners know the locals? Why do the writer and director think you can have 12 main characters in a movie? It is confusing, and meanders from scene to scene with no plot. The scenes are half OK and half good. The me generation gets its first inklings that the fun is about to be over for good. The 80s will crush anything that was left of their progressive ideals, but all of these good natured drips were born into affluence and they will do OK, and they know it. All of the characters are breezy and self sufficient in their privileged ways, and as a result they all lack feeling and depth. For all of the flaws, some light humor and Robert Altman influenced quirkiness and dialogue help maintain a medium level of interest throughout. A good museum piece or time capsule of a very brief era for the then existing middle class in the late 1970s. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/11/23 Full Review Audience Member Something curious begins to happen as Mary Bronstein's film begins to take form: It dawns on the viewer that not only do we not really know much about the characters but we know even less about where they are. "Yeast" formulates itself from emotion and minimal action. All that really matters is what the camera captures in often extreme close-ups. To Brownstein's credit, it takes a while to understand who serves as the film's protagonist. We follow a perpetually frustrated young woman who seems stuck in two different but equally toxic friendships. All three woman appear to have ample "issues," but the core problem is the aggressive passivity of the main character. "Rachel" puts on the appearance of being a friend, but the truth is she seems more interested in the perversity of pushing her two friends to alarming limits by reacting in opposition to whatever the other two women say or do. A hiking trip turns into an absolute nightmare. Greta Gerwig's "Jennifer" is so immature that it is hard to decide which of the two women is more in the wrong. But by the time "Rachel" returns home to her roommate, Amy Judd's "Alice," it is clear that the problem lies with "Rachel." There is no plot here. Very little actually even happens. However the film sparks an interest via the most minimal ways. The acting is naturalistic and often feels uncomfortably real. "Rachel" is indeed the component in her friendships that causes everything to rise and bud into ever worrying aggression. Like its main character, "Yeast" is not an easily likable film. It is often a frustrating experience. And yet from a psychological perspective, this is a surprisingly potent study of an individual hellbent on making everyone around her miserable -- including herself. Of course this is the film's rub. Will "Rachel" ever realize that she is unhappy by her own doing or is she going to be forever in a state of agitation? Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member worst piece of indi s**t I have ever seen Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member This film is pretty much unbearable to watch: no real plot, minimal development of the characters' pasts, shaky handheld cinematography, and an unabashed ability to cause discomfort in the viewer. That being said, it's an interesting enough experience to make it worth watching, but only if you really want to. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member <i>"A maddeningly oblivious, tyrannical and emotionally stunted young woman tries her best to negotiate two toxic friendships. With a physical aggressiveness and emotional violence that is surprisingly, yet undeniably, feminine in nature, Yeast explores the grinding mechanics of friendships that have run their course. A recent dispatch from the nascent 'mumblecore' school of indie filmmaking, Yeast marks the filmmaking debut of Mary Bronstein."</i> This movie chronicles a bitter falling out between friends. It's sometimes painful to watch as a young woman looses her two good friends on account of what seems to be her bossy personality. But it's hard not to feel for her too. This is a great character study that definitely urges you to look beyond the surface. <i>Yeast</i> shows us that it's just as easy to love the ones who are closest to you as it is to hate them. Ultimately, it's worth checking out. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member All of the passive-aggressive, dysfunctional, repulsive characteristics that exist in all of us are put to the forefront in this film. It's strange and disturbing, but completely original and kind of brilliant. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (3) Critics Reviews
      Richard Brody New Yorker Bronstein's exhilarating meditation on performance and identity advances to a resolution that is as surprising as it is transcendent. Aug 14, 2017 Full Review Eric D. Snider Cinematical Don't expect us to congratulate you for doing a great job of making something unbearable. Rated: D Mar 29, 2008 Full Review Karina Longworth SpoutBlog Resolutely indelicate, often absurd, and really, really funny. Mar 17, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis An oblivious young woman tries to juggle two friendships.
      Director
      Mary Bronstein
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Mar 9, 2016