I’ll Be Around is an indie film directed by Mike Cuenca set during day one of a multi-venue festival in Los Angeles that feels like 200 Cigarettes meets the punk elements of the 1984 classic Repo-Man, with a bit of Greg Araki, and Tarantino-esque elements thrown in the mix.
In fact, there is even a mysterious case, albeit for an unseen guitar, possibly giving a nod to the one Vincent and Jules pursue in Pulp Fiction, or perhaps maybe the Alien in the trunk of the car in Repo-Man.
Here is the film’s official synopsis:
“Against the backdrop of a post-punk music festival, dozens of struggling thirty-somethings deal with a wide variety of social and philosophical issues in their respective lives, from generational angst to premature ejaculation.”
Watch the trailer below:
The film is full loving references bands old and new, such as:
- References to X, and The Replacements, and Shane McGowan.
- Repeated reverent (or irreverent) comments about Stiv Bators.
- A poster of The Cure on a bedroom wall.
- one of the main characters wearing a Damned t-shirt.
- A band who tries and fails to sound like Suicide called attempted Choke.
- A girl wants to meet a man who listens to Slowdive.
- A guy’s favorite song is “I Wanna be Adored” by The Stone Roses
- A nod to a more recent popular LA-Based post-punk band Sextile, and more!
There are also quite a few cameos, such as punk and deathrock legend Frank Agnew as the proprietor of a diner, who loses his appetite to a pretentious mustachioed post-punk hipster, Casey from DI as a Bartender, Jonah Ray of MST3K and The Nerdist as a hypnotist, and J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. as a wise pawnbroker who has the best monologue of the film.
The film features also features music from Echolust, Band Aparte, The Tissues (they make a brief appearance on stage), The Electric West, and Portrayals. Members from these bands also act in the film,
I’ll Be Around admittedly does not have much of a plot, but its series of interconnected vignettes will satisfy any post-punk fan who marks the early work of Jim Jarmusch as some of their favorite cinema.
Find more information on the film here, and watch it on-demand here or below.
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