Tiny Furniture | Film Review

Story by Greg Bright 

| Published Jan 18, 2011

What happens when you finish college but really have no idea how to get a job? This is the conundrum facing Aura, the main character of the Woody Allen-influenced film “Tiny Furniture.”

The film revolves around Aura and her decision to move back home to New York City after she graduates from a liberal arts college in Ohio.

This is the first feature from writer-director Lena Dunham, who also plays Aura. With almost no money to make the film, Dunham used her real family as Aura’s family and used her mom’s Tribeca loft as the setting for most of the film’s scenes.

Taking a page right out of the Woody Allen handbook, Dunham based Aura on herself and her experiences of post-graduation. While this is narcissistic, Dunham doesn’t hold back her self-deprecation either, both for humorous effect and for the drama of the story.

What follows is a beautifully fleshed out character with several flaws, most of which are never fully resolved, and one of the more realistic comedies I’ve seen in years.

Dunham and cinematographer Jody Lee Lipse compose the shots with pitch-perfect precision, and Dunham, once again taking from Woody Allen, knows how to not let the camera get in the way of the story. Instead allowing the camera to add to what Aura is going through.

Dunham has proved that talented filmmakers don’t need a budget of $250 million (yes, I’m talking to you James Cameron) to make a truly remarkable film.