An introspective and heartfelt film about life, friendship, running away from the past and looking towards the future. Great soundtrack too!
2 Reviews
Introspective and heartfelt
firstwetakemanhattan26 August 2019
A Worthwhile Watch For Fans Of Human Dramas (Spoilers)
roadsideresident25 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Spoiler Review:
The Buskers & Lou is a worthwhile watch for fans of human dramas. As a person living out of my van by choice, I am curious about depictions of people living out of autos in media - whether by choice or not. Buskers & Lou is a vanlife movie that seemingly does not know it's a vanlife movie. Having recently watched slow-paced and uneventful Nomadland days before, I enjoyed how Buskers & Lou had a more interesting main character and a mini-action sequence.
The main character Lou is a sympathy-worthy guy trying to better his life by attempting to find stable employment. Yet he's not entirely innocent. As Lou attempts to attain betterment after getting hired at a retail job, he lives with a vandweller female, platonic friend in an older, dilapidating van. Lou does not cope well with his difficulties at his new job causing him to lose his temper - taking his frustrations out at this van-roommate friend.
In his pursuit of a job, Lou is inundated with one hardship after another amid unlikeable coworkers and possibly likeable - yet slacker - acquaintances whom he tries to distance himself from in a seeming attempt at leaving behind a troubled past. As the film progresses, it is revealed that Lou is seeing a counselor (seemingly court-mandated) after having served time in jail for something bad he previously did.
The movie is reminiscent of biographical drama The Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith - except Lou does not have a glorious happy ending. The film concludes with Lou seemingly giving up trying to better himself due to how difficult his life had become. It is not the ending I wanted since I was rooting for Lou but it's understandable. Lou returns to hanging out with and apparently living with the slacker acquaintances he had been trying to avoid as he attempted bettering himself.
I felt the film ended with some unresolved questions. What did Lou do exactly to wind up in jail, especially considering how quiet he was? Why was he constantly hassling his slacker acquaintances for the phone number of some woman he was trying to reconnect with - and what is up with them - were they a dating couple? Did Lou really give up on his goal of bettering himself or just pause due to a hindering setback? Where are his parents and family?
If I had say-so in the film, I would have sold the film as a slacker version of The Pursuit of Happyness and chosen a different name. Webster's dictionary defines a busker as "a person who entertains in a public place for donations" and this film really was not about buskers. It is more about trying to persevere out of poverty and trying to overcome a troubled past amid the backdrop of vanlife homelessness and seemingly endless adversity. I also would not have specified the Portland setting thus allowing the audience to connect with the story as having been in anywhere USA. The opening sequence was also unnecessarily too long taking away time that could have been used to reveal some of the above-mentioned mysteries. Nonetheless, once the film got going, it held my attention as I discovered this poor Lou guy trying to overcome a bad situation.
Lastly, I truly feel the film's director and writer Alex Cassun has it in him to advance to making an Academy Award contending human dramas like the 2014 film 99 Homes starring Andrew Garfield. At the very least Cassun has the talent to create a compelling web series. Buskers & Lou could have been a web series with a happy ending. But life does not always give us a happy ending.
The Buskers & Lou is a worthwhile watch for fans of human dramas. As a person living out of my van by choice, I am curious about depictions of people living out of autos in media - whether by choice or not. Buskers & Lou is a vanlife movie that seemingly does not know it's a vanlife movie. Having recently watched slow-paced and uneventful Nomadland days before, I enjoyed how Buskers & Lou had a more interesting main character and a mini-action sequence.
The main character Lou is a sympathy-worthy guy trying to better his life by attempting to find stable employment. Yet he's not entirely innocent. As Lou attempts to attain betterment after getting hired at a retail job, he lives with a vandweller female, platonic friend in an older, dilapidating van. Lou does not cope well with his difficulties at his new job causing him to lose his temper - taking his frustrations out at this van-roommate friend.
In his pursuit of a job, Lou is inundated with one hardship after another amid unlikeable coworkers and possibly likeable - yet slacker - acquaintances whom he tries to distance himself from in a seeming attempt at leaving behind a troubled past. As the film progresses, it is revealed that Lou is seeing a counselor (seemingly court-mandated) after having served time in jail for something bad he previously did.
The movie is reminiscent of biographical drama The Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith - except Lou does not have a glorious happy ending. The film concludes with Lou seemingly giving up trying to better himself due to how difficult his life had become. It is not the ending I wanted since I was rooting for Lou but it's understandable. Lou returns to hanging out with and apparently living with the slacker acquaintances he had been trying to avoid as he attempted bettering himself.
I felt the film ended with some unresolved questions. What did Lou do exactly to wind up in jail, especially considering how quiet he was? Why was he constantly hassling his slacker acquaintances for the phone number of some woman he was trying to reconnect with - and what is up with them - were they a dating couple? Did Lou really give up on his goal of bettering himself or just pause due to a hindering setback? Where are his parents and family?
If I had say-so in the film, I would have sold the film as a slacker version of The Pursuit of Happyness and chosen a different name. Webster's dictionary defines a busker as "a person who entertains in a public place for donations" and this film really was not about buskers. It is more about trying to persevere out of poverty and trying to overcome a troubled past amid the backdrop of vanlife homelessness and seemingly endless adversity. I also would not have specified the Portland setting thus allowing the audience to connect with the story as having been in anywhere USA. The opening sequence was also unnecessarily too long taking away time that could have been used to reveal some of the above-mentioned mysteries. Nonetheless, once the film got going, it held my attention as I discovered this poor Lou guy trying to overcome a bad situation.
Lastly, I truly feel the film's director and writer Alex Cassun has it in him to advance to making an Academy Award contending human dramas like the 2014 film 99 Homes starring Andrew Garfield. At the very least Cassun has the talent to create a compelling web series. Buskers & Lou could have been a web series with a happy ending. But life does not always give us a happy ending.
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