Learned of this company through a news release by the college, Mirandum Picehures was started by some alumni from Christendom College--no doubt some of you will recognize the names. They've produced a film, Chorus, starring various students from the college and shot on campus and in Front Royal. A teaser for the film is available at the film's webpage.
From the teaser, I don't know what to make of it, except that perhaps it is a more innocent and "Catholic" version of the fare one would find on the CW (One Tree Hill) or Fox (the OC)--I was going to say the WB (which featured shows such as Dawson's Creek), but that network no longer exists, having merged with UPN to form CW.
Why do I compare the movie to these shows? Because the teaser features a lot of youth angst. One hopes that the characters in the movie are not just into themselves and only talking about themselves, like the characters on Fox and CW dramas... but the teaser reminded me of contemporary American narcissism and cult of youth (i.e. immaturity), at least when the characters are talking with teach other. Perhaps the play production represents something else, and there is a profound moral message to the story... if one has to conjecture based on other information (such as the people involved, the education they received at Christendom, and so on), this is probably the case...
Still, I'd rather watch Stillman's Metropolitan for more intelligent "whining." It's not really whining if it doesn't annoy the listener, is it? Or better yet, finally get to reading some Flannery O'Connor, Walker Percy, or Muriel Spark... (A reminder: read some Kazuo Ishiguro...)
Perhaps I'm wrong about Chorus, and it is more than the teaser. I'm just a bit tired of people seeking to "discover themselves and who they are" and how so many dramas are driven by existential crises. Yes, moderns are confused and there has been a loss of identity and community (the two are linked!), and while one should condemn nihilism, anything that comes close to affirming the status quo (which is what most dramas end up doing, as well as vindicating immaturity and rebellion which are components of the status quo) and the "liberal" political and social order should also be avoided. My guess is that Chorus is not overtly religious, but the Faith will inform the story, so that meaning will ultimately be found in God and grace.
Stillman links:
wiki
theyshootpictures profile
After the Ball -- essay on Metropolitan
Interviews:
by Gerald Peary
Psychology Today
Better than Fudge
salon.com
The A.V. Club
National Review
Filmmaker Magazine
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