Creative Nonfiction (2009) Reviews

A young woman purposefully blurs the lines between fiction and real life in this independent comedy drama. Ella (Lena Dunham) is a college student who is edging into a relationship with Chris (David Unger), a sweet but nerdy guy who lives in her dorm. Ella can scarcely take her mind off Chris, even though they both feel uncomfortable acknowledging that they're boyfriend and girlfriend, which means she's been neglecting the screenplay that's supposed to be her semester project for a writing class. Stuck for ideas, Ella begins acting out the story that she's roughed out for the script, and as she spends more time impersonating a disturbed high school student having an obsessive relationship with her teacher, life and art start to merge in strange and unexpected ways. Creative Nonfiction was the first feature film for writer, director and star Lena Dunham, and was chosen as an official selection at the 2009 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi