Mustache
From the Archives
•
03-May-2021
A meddling mother tries to help her 22-year-old son prepare for a job interview. Harris Gurny directs “Mustache,” a picture of suspended adolescence placed in a suburban bubble that’s awkwardly funny and lightly ominous (see flute score). At a strip mall store, Stuart tries on a suit but doesn’t think it fits with his aesthetic. “You have an aesthetic?” his mom asks doubtfully, before shuttling him to a barber shop for a haircut and a shave. When Stuart notices an old crush there, he implores his mother to stop embarrassing him. No such luck. Simple and well-executed, Gurny’s film taps into a dynamic of a certain age and class — well-to-do kids stuck in dependent cycles — and gets convincing performances from its two leads. -KA.
Written, directed by Harris Gurny. Starring Jennifer Jiles, Spencer H. Levin. Cinematography by Cory Fraiman-Lott. Produced by Matthew Cherchio. Original Score by Aaron Israel Levin.
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