Tiny Furniture (2010) Film Review

This is the film that came before Girls, the recent TV success, written and directed by Lena Dunham. Aura (Lena Dunham) has just finished college and returned home to New York. Her mother, Siri (Laurie Simmons) and sister Nadine (Grace Dunham) have their life sorted; Siri is an artist and Nadine is a poet/high school student. Aura doesn’t know what she wants to do. She faffs around with her friends, meeting boys and doing not an awful lot.

Having seen the first two seasons of Girls, it’s very interesting to watch Tiny Furniture. It’s like Dunham has tweaked several things to make it work better for a series, changing her parents, her interests and, kind of, her friends. It’s good, but I’m glad it went further; the show is better.

 

Girls (TV Review)

Hannah (Lena Dunham) lives in Brooklyn with her best mate, Marnie (Allison Williams). She is intending to be a writer, but since her parents cut her off, she is having to work. Meanwhile, she and her hipster mates are exploring their lives and limits.

 

In case I’ve never made it clear, I love hipsters. I’m not one because I think I’m far too old to be throwing my hat in with a bunch of early twenties cool folks, but I admire from a distance. I don’t know if you could enjoy this show if you hate hipsters; I think Lena Dunham’s extremely clever wit and insight into the characters is by far enough to carry the show, but I can imagine hipster-haters just rolling their eyes as they reach for the remote.

 

Enough people must think like me, as Girls has become a huge success, winning critical and popular acclaim and Golden Globes.