Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		2.5

Me and You and Everyone We Know Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 26, 2020

Miranda July's "Me and You and Everyone We Know" (2005) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailer for the film; new program with the director and Lena Dunham; deleted scenes; short films; and a lot more. The release also arrives with a 40-page illustrated booklet featuring essays by Sara Magenheimer and Lauren Groff, as well as technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The moment when he was trying to save his life but it did not work.

The guy that sets his hand on fire in the very beginning of the film later on mumbles something about life and how he did not believe that he would get burned. He figured out that what he was doing was awful only after the fire started damaging his skin, though the pain still felt good. Interesting. So, why didn’t he think of experimenting with his leg, or both?

Two people in a car then have a quick discussion about a goldfish in a plastic bag on top of a moving SUV. The fish is doomed, so it is a cruel world we live in, isn’t it?

A coworker of the guy with the injured hand engages a couple of teenage girls in front of his house and after a series of suggestive remarks very carefully clarifies that he isn’t a pedophile. Of course, later on his true colors pop up and the obvious becomes painfully obvious.

Driven by curiosity, the same teenage girls arrange a secret test with the teenage son of the injured guy. While having a large pillow placed on his head, the boy is tasked to determine which of the two girls is better at giving oral sex. He is told to be fair because the test means a lot to them and could have a lasting impact on their friendship.

The younger brother of the boy participates in a different test which involves an anonymous person. They connect in a chatroom where lonely people with dirty minds find virtual soulmates. After spending some time discussing poop games, the anonymous person casually suggests that they meet in a nearby park, completely unaware that the compatible soulmate from the chatroom is a minor.

Can you recognize the thread that links these episodes? Of course you can, but the longer you stay with this film, the more director Miranda July will try to change your mind. You will be urged to doubt yourself and see the world you live in from an entirely different angle -- an angle that creates the illusion that the characters from the film are just like you.

But they are not. They all need help and a few actually require serious medical attention. Excluding the kids who have essentially been abandoned by their parents, they are the worst kind of social outcasts -- almost invisible, voiceless, quiet loners that are on the verge of giving up on life. These are the type of people that very easily can evolve into dangerous kamikazes and then shatter the community you live in.

The sense of melancholy that permeates the narrative is used to tone down the disturbing, but it is a weak trick that only cheapens it and makes it appear even more artificial than it really is. On top of this, there are incompatible intellectual themes that are attached to the melancholy which add another layer of very heavy artificiality. So, instead of being a quirky piece of contemporary Americana the film effectively becomes an abstract arty project that is very difficult to endure.

The acting is a mixed bag. There is a lot of repetitive awkward posturing and empty looks that quickly become tiresome. While they were likely given careful instructions how to behave in key situations, the inexperienced kids are actually a lot more convincing than the experienced adult actors.

The cool ambient soundtrack that builds up the atmosphere throughout the film was created by award-winning composer Michael Andrews (Donnie Darko).

Me and You and Everyone We Know Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Me and You and Everyone We Know arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This film was completed in a fully digital workflow and features a fully digital soundtrack. The 5.1 surround audio for this release was mastered from the original digital audio files using Pro Tools HD."

I think that the native digital characteristics of the film are reproduced really well. When there is an abundance of light the visuals boast very impressive depth and clarity; fluidity is optimal as well. Some darker areas with shadow nuances reveal what would be considered light crushing on 35mm film, but in an all-digital production there are different types of limitations. The primary colors are lush and solid, with excellent ranges of supporting nuances. Image stability is outstanding. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Me and You and Everyone We Know Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Michael Andrews' soundtrack does a lot to build up and support a very particular type of atmosphere and the lossless track handles it very well. Indeed, the dynamic intensity is unimpressive, but there are great ranges of nuanced dynamics that make quite an impact. I thought that the lossless track was fantastic. The dialog is clear, stable, and very easy to follow.

Me and You and Everyone We Know Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - an original trailer for Me and You and Everyone We Know. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Miranda July: Where It Began - in this new documentary, Miranda July and filmmaker Lena Dunham discuss July's career as a performer/writer/director and the conception of Me and You and Everyone We Know. The program was produced by Criterion in 2019. In English, not subtitled. (52 min, 1080p).

• Open to the World - in 2017, Miranda July, with the support of the organization Artangel, again utilized a department store as a setting for one of her projects, this time for a participatory artwork and singular retail experience: the United Kingdom's first interfaith charity shop. This short film documents July's process in creating a store run and staffed jointly by the four faith-based charities that she invited to collaborate: Islamic Relief, the Jewish nonprofit Norwood, the London Buddhist Centre, and the Christian Spitalfields Crypt Trust. In English, not subtitled. (10 min, 1080i).

• July Interviews July: Deauville, 2005 - presented here is footage shot by Miranda July during her visit to the Deauville American Film Festival in France, where her film Me and You and Everyone We Know was screened. The footage contains a very unique Q&A session. In English, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080i).

• Sundance Directors Lab - Miranda July submitted the script for Me and You and Everyone We Know to the Sundance Screenwriter Lab twice before the project was accepted in 2003. The same year, she was invited to the Directors Lab, where she developed the following scenes, presented here with optional commentary by July. In English, not subtitled. (20 min, 1080i).
  
  1. Video Games
  2. Mary Jane
  3. "I'm Not Following You"
  4. "Amazing Things"
  5. Hope Chest
  6. Perfect Kiss

• Deleted Scenes - in English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080i).
  
  1. "For Poop, for poop"
  2. Robby Goes Outside
  3. "She Looks Like a Prostitute"
  4. Playing Mom
  5. Shamus and the Grenade

• Short Films -
  
  1. The Amateurist (1998)
  2. Nest of Tens (1999)

• Joanie 4 Jackie - several films from Miranda July's Joanie 4 Jackie project, and a documentary about the program. In English, not subtitled. (45 min, 1080i).
  
  1. Dear Mom
  2. The Slow Escape
  3. No Place Like Home #1 and #2.
  4. Gigi (From 9 to 5)

• Booklet - 40-page illustrated booklet featuring "Punk Cars Bodies Movies" by Sara Magenheimer, "Performance Rites" by Lauren Groff, and technical credits.

Me and You and Everyone We Know Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Miranda July credits a well-known film by Agnes Varda as a partial inspiration for Me and You and Everyone We Know, which is rather surprising because I don't see the connection at all. Her directorial debut visits a place that many of Todd Solondz's films explore, while trying to recreate some of the heavy atmosphere that defines Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko. It could have been an interesting quirky piece of contemporary Americana, but it is just a disjointed, strikingly artificial film that does not have anything meaningful to tell. Criterion's upcoming release features a very solid technical presentation of the film as well as a large selection of bonus features.