Amy Seimetz Movies

Two people hurt by love are brought together in this independent drama from writer and director Alison Bagnall. Rose Greta Gerwig) is a woman who feels angry and betrayed when her husband tells her he's been having an affair. Rose impulsively hops in her car and heads to the Delaware seaside community where the other woman lives and her parents keep a summer cottage. Rose has no luck finding her husband's lover, but she happens upon a teenage boy (Olly Alexander) who is stranded and sleeping by the beach as fall turns to winter; he came to Delaware to be with his girlfriend, only to learn she'd left him for someone else. Rose takes pity on the boy and lets him stay with her, and they become fast friends, though she has to work through her own anger and disappointment before the two of them can truly open up to one another. The Dish and the Spoon received its world premiere at the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A recent college graduate keeps stumbling as she steps out into the real world in this independent comedy drama. Aura (Lena Dunham) has just graduated from a university in the Midwest, receiving a degree in film theory that even she seems to realize is essentially worthless. With no real prospects she returns home to her mother, Siri (Laurie Simmons), a successful photographer living in New York City. Aura's 17-year-old sister, Nadine (Grace Dunham), is about to graduate from high school and is choosing which college to attend in the fall; Aura is ostensibly back home to help Siri and Nadine during a hectic time, but they don't appear to particularly need or want her assistance. Aura befriends Jed (Alex Karpovsky), a minor celebrity thanks to his surreal YouTube videos, who insists he's in New York to take meetings for an upcoming TV project; he soon invites himself into Aura's bedroom as a semi-permanent guest, though he clearly has no interest in any sort of romantic or sexual relationship. With little else to do, Aura takes a job at a nearby restaurant and becomes smitten with Keith (David Call), one of the cooks; while he seems attracted to her, he also has a girlfriend and it isn't until they're both stoned one night that he makes his move in a rather unusual setting. Tiny Furniture was written and directed by Lena Dunham, who also plays Aura; Laurie Simmons and Grace Dunham are her mother and sister in real life as well as in the film, which was mostly shot in Simmons' actual apartment. The film was named Best Narrative Feature at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A waitress at a highway diner yearns for a change that never seems to come, until a handsome truck driver becomes a regular at her restaurant, and the promise of a happy future seems to fall within her grasp. Francine (Amy Seimetz) earns her living pouring strong coffee for weary truckers. Most days her greatest pleasure is a quickie in the bathroom, and her friendships are as fleeting as the cars she glimpses speeding by from the windows of the restaurant. Francine can't even remember where all of her dreams have gone when Oliver shows up, and reminds her that a world of opportunities exist outside of the box she's currently confined to. He used to be a banker, but now he runs a big rig. Now the more that Francine gets to know Oliver, the more she begins to feel like this could be the beginning of a whole new life. ~ Jason Buchanan, 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

Fate (and alcohol) brings two people together in this independent romantic comedy-drama. Joanne (Tracey Heggins) and Micah (Wyatt Cenac) wake up together one morning after a drunken one-night stand, the result of attending a late-night party at the home of a mutual friend. It becomes clear they don't know each other very well and after sharing breakfast, Joanne isn't interested in getting to know Micah any better. However, when Micah discovers that Joanne has misplaced her wallet, he stops by her apartment to return it, and they end up spending the day together. Joanne and Micah don't appear to have much in common; she's well-to-do and lives in San Francisco's pricey Marina District, while he has a flat in the rough-and-tumble Tenderloin and works with a group of activists struggling to make housing affordable in the city by the bay. As the day wears on, Joanne and Micah become increasingly aware of a genuine mutual attraction, but they also realize just how different they really are. The first feature film from writer and director Barry Jenkins, Medicine for Melancholy received its premiere at the 2008 San Francisco International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi