This moment in Whitney Horn and Lev Kalman’s L for Leisure is a good way to link together the episodic pieces of the previous 70 minutes, and prescribe some kind of meaning to them. Filmed over the course of four years and across multiple continents, the art-house piece of amateur filmmaking (funded by Kickstarter) is a dialogue-driven portrait of 1990s young adult life and its limitless possibilities, set in the liminal time between college semesters ending and beginning again.

Regardless of its atypical narrative (or seeming lack of), to suggest that the film isn’t about anything would indicate an ignorance to the very traditions of American independent filmmaking that L for Leisure aspires to. In the vein of Whit Stillman and Noah Baumbach, directors Horn and Kalman let the dry wit of their hyper-intellectual young protagonists drive the film, their meandering existential conversations punctuated by interruptions about seemingly menial topics, like ice cream flavours.

Played almost entirely by non-actors, these characters deliver every line with a completely earnest sincerity, and it’s something about this genuine lack of pretension that gives the film its sense of irony. Equal parts thought-provoking and absurd, L for Leisure demonstrates how simultaneously insightful yet unaware young people can be about the world around them, while the charm of these characters rescues the film from any fate as a complete social satire.

Despite the intense saturation of 1990s visual and narrative elements, L for Leisure’s conscious appeal to a contemporary young audience is made very much evident through John Atkinson’s original score. At times it’s heard simply through the radio as diegetic background noise to the characters’ lives, and at others as blaring rhythms that create scenes reminiscent of MTV. The synth-heavy soundtrack adds an interesting dimension to those moments in the narrative  that would otherwise have had the potential to come across as slow-moving.

Similarly, the impressive landscapes – from the sweeping forests of California to golden fields in France – captured on 35mm film provide a backdrop that perfectly complements the sense of infinite possibilities felt by the protagonists. As one particular pair spend their 1992 Labor Day lounging on a deck in the Sky Forrest, it’s impossible to not feel somewhat envious of these precocious figures and their apparently comfortable lives.

With its dreamy celluloid aesthetic and authentic dialogue, ultimately, L for Leisure watches like an intimate home movie, made with the group of friends you wish you had.

3/5 stars

Featuring in its entirety as a part of this year’s new MIFF Big Scene, Small Screen showcase, the series follows the two women over the course of a couple of months, during which time Doll moves to Los Angeles to work as an assistant to film-star Emily. At first seeming to be the perfect change to Doll’s previously unremarkable and unsatisfying life in London, the friendship-come-business agreement soon faces difficulty as the line between the two roles begins to blur and the situation loses its novelty.

Although the initial appeal and selling-point of the series certainly comes from Wells and Mortimer’s real-life celebrity status, Doll & Em is not so much an insider look at Hollywood, but rather the tale of a friendship pushed to its limits. Take away the glamorous celebrity setting and what’s ultimately left is a highly relatable journey, as the two women struggle to maintain a supportive and healthy relationship in the pursuit of their own individual success.

Of course, at the same time, audiences seeking a glimpse of fame aren’t going to be left completely disappointed, with some of Doll & Em’s most entertaining moments coming from their interactions with cameo-role characters like Susan Sarandon, Chloë Sevigny and John Cusack. However, the self-deprecating humour and self-reflexivity makes it clear that the series should be taken as neither an endorsement nor a critique of Hollywood.

In fact, what’s most impressive about this series is this very inability to take itself too seriously. For Emily Mortimer to happily construct such an exaggerated version of herself – the often egotistic, self-entitled character on screen – or for Dolly Wells to write scenes that find her in one awkward, embarrassing situation after the next, one can only applaud the good sportsmanship of the writers. Their premise could have been delivered with self-indulgence. However, the unpretentiousness, as well as the power plays that occur when Doll becomes increasingly involved in this constructed Hollywood world, rescues it from such a fate.

For a mini-series comprised of six 20-minute episodes, Doll & Em manages to exhibit the in-depth relationship development you’d expect of any of the festival’s feature-length dramas. Despite the occasional moment of heavy-handedness in the screenplay,it perfectly demonstrates Wells and Mortimer’s capability as both performers and writers of comedy.

3/5 stars

Much like Richard Press’s profile on the illusive photographer Bill Cunningham back in 2010, it’s the individuality of Advanced Style’s subjects that gives the Kickstarter-funded documentary its edge. Although opening with a feature on Cohen, it’s quickly made apparent that this story in fact belongs the women whose fashions he captures. All based in New York and all aged over fifty, dressing is an art form for these seven ladies, and it’s this attention to detail that has made them regulars on the now internationally successful blog.

Despite the diversity of ages, tastes and social backgrounds amongst them, these are women who each possess a similar elegance, which is what caught Cohen’s eye initially. It’s clear that the emphasis is never on fashion for these ladies, but rather on style, a quality that, as one of them explains, “cannot simply be bought”.

All impressive in their own right, the women featured in Advanced Style are proud to reveal the various successes they’ve had in their careers and personal lives, whilst still managing to remain somewhat self-effacing. Equally incredible is the fact that, even for those upwards of 80 years, these women continue to lead active lives. They ride bikes, practice yoga, take long walks and love to dance, and when combined with the impressive energy and joie de vivre they exude, it becomes all too easy to forget how many decades these subjects have in fact lived through.

However, the aging process is a real, unavoidable phenomenon, and what is perhaps most refreshing about the Advanced Style ladies is their complete openness to discussing this and its effects. Through the matter-of-fact discourses of hospital experiences and the realities of age-discrimination, the film moves beyond a mere appreciation of street-style fashions and becomes a thought-provoking social critique of prevailing attitudes towards old age.

Even with this element of openness, the tone of Advanced Style manages to remain as playful and optimistic as the ladies themselves, and this is largely achieved through Ari Cohen’s involvement and support. As he celebrates International Hat Day with the group, escorts them on a whirlwind trip to Los Angeles or simply joins them for tea in their apartments, Cohen demonstrates wisdom beyond his years – likely developed through his close affinity with his own grandmothers as a child. This rapport, and the possibility for intergenerational friendships that it demonstrates, is one of the greatest means by which the ‘Advanced Style’project is certainly helping to debunk the association between getting old and getting boring.

Ultimately, it’s this wholehearted trust established between the subjects and filmmakers that allows for a genuine glimpse into the lives of these impressive individuals and provides the perfect, unobtrusive guide to the ever-growing ‘Advanced Style’ movement.

4/5 stars