Baghead

It was only a matter of time before the mumblecore movement became explicitly self-referential. In their follow-up to The Puffy Chair, the Duplass Brothers fashion a low budget indie horror film about four friends trying to write a low budget indie horror film. While it teeters on the border between horror escapism and real world relationship drama, it never exceeds the limitations of the characters. Baghead is a modest, smart film that is successful in its aspirations, though it ultimately lacks the emotional punch it needs. Matt, Catherine, Chad and Michelle (note: the poster references "and Carol and Ted and Alice") decide to kick-start their acting and filmmaking careers by spending a weekend at a remote country cabin writing a low-budget film they can star in. Matt used to date Catherine and Chad likes Michelle, though she really likes Matt. Their hormonal dalliances are interrupted, however, when someone wearing a paper bag as a mask starts stalking the gang, which gives Matt a great idea for their movie. Shot on a handicam for next to nothing, Baghead strikes the perfect balance between the awkwardness of real life and the horror movie tropes that suspiciously begin to infringe on that reality. Unfortunately, what works about the film also keeps it from attaining any sort of edge. Riding that balance between a romantic drama and a horror movie makes for an interesting comment about human relationships but refusing to give way to either style tethers the story to a predictable conclusion. The DVD features a commentary track with the brothers, and a video of the two answering their most frequently asked questions. Also, more entertainingly, there are candid-camera-esque clips of amateur Bagheads spooking unsuspecting people.