Joe Swanberg Movies

A group of criminals scour a secluded country home for a mysterious videotape, and bear witness to scenes of unimaginable terror in this found-footage-style anthology horror film featuring segments from Glenn McQuaid (I Sell the Dead), Ti West (House of the Devil), Joe Swanberg (Silver Bullets), David Bruckner (The Signal), Adam Wingard (You're Next, and Radio Silence). It seemed like a simple job; all they needed to do was enter the home, find the videotape, and deliver it to their boss. But from the moment they arrived, a sinister tension descended. Gaining access to the house, the young thugs discover a rotting corpse amidst a collection of vintage television sets, and stockpiles of VHS tapes. Somewhere amidst the stacks is the tape they seek, but with each new video they watch, the dread continues to build. The sights that they witness are too horrible for words, but the greatest shock is yet to come. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

This low-budget ensemble film from directors Joe Swanberg and Adam Wingard follows the sexual exploits of four Chicago couples who begin to stretch the boundaries of intimacy in their respective relationships. Starring Josephine Decker, Amy Seimetz, and Joe Swanberg. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

A lonely L.A. cartoonist falls for a pretty environmental journalist whom he met on Chatroulette in director Joe Swanberg's edgy indie comedy. Kent Osborne is forty and single. He draws cartoons for a local children's television show, enjoys smoking copious amounts of marijuana, and can usually be found hanging out around the apartment with his beloved cat. When Kent isn't getting feedback on his ideas from his motor-mouthed pal Kev (Kevin Bewersdorf), he also likes to connect with strangers on Chatroulette. And that's how he eventually meets Kate (Jennifer Prediger), a pretty New York journalist who accepts his invitation to visit L.A. for the weekend. Sexually adventurous and unusually honest, Kate seems like the perfect girl for Kent until she reveals that her heart belongs to another man. Frustrated, Kent scrambles to make sense of this situation as his one shot at happiness slips between his fingers. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Any time the United States votes to elect a new president, a bit of history hangs in the balance, but the stakes seemed higher for many people on November 4, 2008, in which citizens went to the polls to chose between Barack Obama or John McCain as their leader for the next four years. With the possibility that America would elect its first African-American president, filmmaker Jeff Deutchman set out to document the mood around the nation (and around the world) as voters cast their ballots and waited to see the results. Deutchman asked friends with cameras to interview Obama volunteers, folks at the polls, or just people on the street and capture their reactions as they witnessed the big day as it unfolded, and in 11/4/08 he presents a sampling of the material submitted to him: expatriates in Europe ponder how Obama's election could change America's image around the world, many voters ponder their small but vital role in the election, and election workers feel the suspense as the ballots are counted. 11/4/08 was an official selection at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Independent filmmaker Joe Swanberg (Hannah Takes the Stairs, Nights and Weekends) writes, directs, and produces this intimate marriage drama focusing on the troubled union of an artistic young couple. As temptations both sexual and creative in nature challenge the couple's monogamous relationship, the facade of happiness fades to reveal the hardships of modern marriage. Jess Weixler, Justin Rice, and Jane Adams star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In Aaron Katz's idiosyncratic and unpredictable drama Quiet City, Georgian Jamie travels from her Atlanta home to Brooklyn, to visit her friend Samantha. When Jamie arrives, however, Samantha seems to have disappeared from her residence - her phone is disconnected and she cannot be located. By sheer happenstance, Jamie runs into a stranger, Charlie, when she stops him to ask for directions. The two strike up an instant rapport and spend the rest of the day and night together - eating coleslaw, attending art exhibitions and experiencing Manhattan nightlife. The picture thus becomes an exploration of how relationships can spring from chance meetings between strangers, amid the most unfamiliar of circumstances and environments. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

American independent filmmaker Joe Swanberg's 2007 feature Hannah Takes the Stairs concerns Hannah (Greta Gerwig), a recent college graduate who spends one long, unsatisfying summer in the Windy City attempting to achieve romantic fulfillment in a seemingly endless series of relationships. Drifting in and out of infatuation, but never quite reaching satisfaction, Hannah begins to pose an emotional threat to herself and those around her. The picture co-stars filmmakers Andrew Bujalski (Funny Ha Ha) and Todd Rohal (The Guatemalan Handshake) as well as screenwriter Kent Osborne (The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie). Gerwig co-authored the script with Osborne and Swanberg. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

The constant need to be plugged in and connected threatens to crash the real-life operating system of three technologically obsessed twentysomethings in director Joe Swanberg's humorous meditation on the relationship between man and machine in modern society. Tim does computer work for a living, but he also lives for his computer. Unfortunately his inability to snap the lid closed on his laptop is rapidly alienating his girlfriend Ada, who recognizes Tim's apparent inability to communicate with other people without the buffer of technology. Meanwhile, as struggling musician Alex obsesses over a girl he met on an adult website, a flesh-and-blood girl named Walter does her best to make her attraction to Alex known. Lastly, Chris has transferred from New York to Chicago due to the demands of his job, making a long-distance relationship with his East-coast girlfriend Greta increasingly difficult to maintain. Though the pair talks constantly on their cell phones while also sending cell-phone pictures to one another, neither Chris nor Greta can deny that their reliance on technology in sustaining their relationship is no substitute for the living, breathing warmth of human companionship. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi